


The Siren's Call

by DiamondWings



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Times, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hooker Hakyeon, Human Taekwoon, Humor, Implied Everyone/Everyone among 4/6VIXX, Light Angst, M/M, Pretend Pirates, Romantic Taekwoon, Siren Hakyeon, Sirens, Smut, virgin taekwoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:54:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 23,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22598158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondWings/pseuds/DiamondWings
Summary: Taekwoon is the captain of a 17th century galleon, the SSS Navy Gold, which is his entire life. Literally. Contrary to his crew, the ship and life at sea are his everything. Eventually, his meddling crew decides there has to be more to their captain's life, though, and take matters into their own hands.Hakyeon should have read the fine print before accepting a contract that will have him trapped on a ship out on the ocean for four weeks, at the mercy of... pirates? A siren's got to do what a siren's got to do to get by in these trying times, though, and he's willing to endure a lot, for the right price. And this crew is willing to pay a lot for him to seduce their captain...!
Relationships: Cha Hakyeon | N/Jung Taekwoon | Leo
Comments: 9
Kudos: 37





	1. The Siren's Called

**Author's Note:**

> For my birby [@gold_sakura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gold_sakura/pseuds/gold_sakura) <3

The Sailing School Ship Navy Gold creaked lazily in the shallow waves of the harbour, resting for once. It was rare for the ship to dock anywhere for longer than a day, unless it needed repairing. And this time it wouldn’t stay in the harbour for long, either. It was just waiting for a new set of trainees. People -humans and creatures alike- of all ages and from everywhere around the world signed up on the School Ship for the chance to learn how to sail a three-mast 17th century galleon and pretend to be a pirate for a few weeks.

But the trainees weren’t set to board for a few more days, and so the captain, Jung Taekwoon, and his fixed crew members and best friends took the chance for a small break in between trips.

“It’s Saturday night and we are hanging out at home, pitifully getting drunk on the couch like absolute losers, instead of going out and hitting the bars.” Jaehwan, the quartermaster, mumbled, dangling his head off the edge of the bolted-down setee in Taekwoon’s cabin.

“I resent that statement.” Hongbin, their sailing master, grouched from the floor, lifting his bottle high to be seen and not overheard among his noisy friends. “I am _clearly_ not getting drunk on the couch, like I had originally planned, because _someone_ is taking up all the space.” His jab was obviously aimed at Jaehwan, who took up most of the space on the setee (and only not all of it because Wonshik, the first mate, didn’t mind having half of Jaehwan’s body draped over his lap).

“It’s not the drinking at home part that makes us losers, anyway. Isn’t it the fact we call a ship ‘home’, rather than an actual house, that makes us losers?” Sanghyuk, the gunner, mused, plopping back down on the floor after having gotten himself a new bottle of some mixed drink and letting his head hit Hongbin’s stomach rather heavily as he used him for a pillow. Hongbin merely swatted lazily at him, but said nothing, leaving him be, and Sanghyuk continued. “A bunch of nerds in their late twenties and early thirties who hasn’t managed to grow up and out of their pirate-phase yet, to the point they have somehow managed to make play-pretend to be pirates their day-job.”

“And night-job.” Wonshik remarked, seemingly waking up just to utter those few words.

“And weekend-job.” Jaehwan added.

“Their whole life, basically.” Hongbin summarized.

“Exactly.” Sanghyuk nodded, digging his head further into Hongbin’s stomach and eliciting a groan from the sailing master. “Like, come on, you gotta admit, we would be losers even if we decided to hit the bars to go drink every once in a while.”

It was hard to refute that logic, especially half-way through their fifth to sixth alcoholic beverage of the night, and silence settled in the captain’s quarters as they let Sanghyuk’s words sink in.

“Do you regret it, though?” A quiet, almost soft voice inquired eventually. “Do you regret having made this your life? Becoming losers who sail the world, and get drunk at home but in a new harbour every weekend? Who play pretend pirates for a living and get paid quite handsomely for never growing up?”

“Absolutely the fuck not, Captain, my Captain!” Jaehwan hollered, unnecessarily loud, before Taekwoon’s voice had even finished sounding. The other occupants jumped at the sudden noise level, and Sanghyuk’s head colliding with Hongbin’s stomach again finally had the latter lose his patience, shoving at their youngest.

“Ok, I’ve had enough, get _off_ me, you giant baby! You’re sitting on my bladder and I’m trying to hold out here and not go to the head just yet!”

Sanghyuk wasn’t easy to shove off, though, especially when he didn’t want to be shoved off. He resisted, leading Hongbin to use more force, and in turn Sanghyuk resisted harder. In no time the two were brawling on the floor, rolling around with each other, sometimes shouting, sometimes laughing, sometimes groaning, loud the entire time.

“Hey!” Taekwoon eventually shouted, too. “Cut it, you bunch of uncivilized savages! I don’t want to have to replace any more pieces of furniture any time soon. You can brawl on deck, but not in my quarters!”

Hongbin and Sanghyuk stopped their play-fight, sitting up, but not without pouting.

“Aww, look, Captain. You’ve made the babies sad…!” Jaehwan mocked from the couch, just to have both Sanghyuk and Hongbin lunge at him. Jaehwan yelled loudly in fright, trying to sit up and use a drowsy Wonshik as shield. It didn’t work, since he was draped over the other, which made getting behind him hard.

“Guys!” Taekwoon yelled again, stopping the two from attacking their quartermaster. “Stop it! I mean it!”

Sanghyuk huffed. “Come on, _Captain_ , what good is it to be a pirate without a good brawl every once in a while? Just a few punches here and there, some well-placed kicks, maybe a stabbing or two… Or have some disrespectful quartermasters walk the plank sometime to change things up…”

Hongbin rolled his eyes, jabbing his elbow into Sanghyuk’s ribs. “Jaehwan can swim and we’re in a harbor, idiot. We should keelhaul him instead.”

“Who’s an idiot, huh?” Sanghyuk’s retaliatory jab into Hongbin’s ribs toppled the sailing master over, sending him sprawling.

“Will you stop it already!” Taekwoon had damn near enough by now, his patience shorter than usual when he drank. “God, sometimes I do wish this was the good old days and I could just shackle the two of you up in the brig for a few hours for being disobedient little fucks…”

“If this was the good old days they wouldn’t be fighting in here in the first place, because one: what gunner and sailing master ever had the right to get drunk in the captain’s quarters? And two: they’d be getting it out of their system in the bars and brothels out in town rather than letting all that sexual frustration pile up…” Jaehwan wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Hongbin sent him a deathly glare.

“What sexual frustration, you-…! Where’s that supposed to come from if Hyuk damn near pounded you through the mattress just this morning?”

Jaehwan shrugged good naturedly. “Jealous, love?”

“As if…!”

“Nah, Binnie got plenty of horizontal fun with that tall blond Norwegian stud who climbed the main mast for fun every morning these last few weeks, he can’t be that frustrated, either. Isn’t that right, Honck-binn?” Sanghyuk needled, imitating the way the guy pronounced Hongbin’s name, and Hongbin directed his glare at Sanghyuk instead.

“Oooh, right!” Jaehwan cut in with a grin “And by the sounds of it, it wasn’t just horizontal, either. The hinges on your door still good or do we need to have them replaced, Binnie?”

“The hinges are fine, thank you. The same can’t be said about your bureau, though, can it, Jyani?” Hongbin inquired, sugar sweet. “Who was it who fucked you so hard on it that it collapsed, was it Shikkie or that Brazilian beauty from the crew last month?”

Hearing his name, Wonshik blinked his eyes open, too. “Hey, I didn’t even say anything, leave me out of it…!” He whined, but no one paid him any mind, Jaehwan even talking over him.

“Do you mean Paulo? Oh no, no, he was a strict bottom, and I had him against the capstan. No, it was Shikkie. And I’ll have you know, it was _phenomenal._ You should ask him to fuck you like that someday.”

“The way Shikkie and I fuck is none of your concern, thank you very much!”

“Can you not fucking discuss how I fuck or don’t fuck each of you like that, for fuck’s sake!” Wonshik threw in again, and this time he was actually heard.

“Oh, shit, Shikkie’s _drunk_ drunk. What was that, four fucks in one sentence? Bro, let us know if you need help walking anywhere, don’t try to get up on your own, alright?” Sanghyuk actually looked concerned, but Wonshik merely glared at the young gunner.

“Can you not ‘bro’ me when you’ve literally sucked me off just before we came over here…”

“You guys are ridiculous…” Taekwoon eventually sighed, visibly giving up and slumping back in his armchair with a shake of his head. He was about to just let it go and let them have at it, staying out of it all, but it was too late now. He realized that a little too late, too, when silence suddenly settled heavily over the five of them, and a tentative glance around showed him all four pairs of eyes of his friends focused on him. “What?” He asked, fear creeping into his voice.

“Taekwoonie…” Jaehwan started carefully. “We, well… We obviously all know way too much about each other’s sex lives; it’s a relatively small ship, when it comes down to it. But… What about you?”

Taekwoon subconsciously pushed further back into his armchair, resembling a cornered animal.

“What about me, what?” He asked, voice meek, really not wanting to have that kind of conversation right now – or ever. Jaehwan didn’t seem to care, though, carefully explaining exactly what he meant.

“What about you, as in… We all know you fuck none of us. And… well. Among the four of us, we never miss any scuttlebutt from the trainees. Yet we’ve never ever heard anyone say anything about a tryst with the captain…!”

Taekwoon closed his eyes, shaking his head and swallowing thickly before opening his eyes again.

“And so… what?” He wanted to sound challenging, but his tone was way too far off the mark.

“And so, we are currently wondering how _you_ manage to get it out of your system!” Sanghyuk, bold as always, threw the question they all wanted to know the answer to into the open.

Taekwoon winced as if he’d been slapped, but it also sobered him up enough to get his thoughts far enough in order, compose himself, and give an answer that should end the discussion.

“First of all, that is none of your business. Second of all, contrary to you guys, I have left the horny teenager years behind me long ago and don’t need to get laid three times a day. I have nothing to ‘get out of my system’.”

Truly, that should have told pretty much anyone that the conversation was over, the topic was done for, no more questions were welcome. That is, anyone that wasn’t drunk and his best friends.

“Three times a day, huh. Bold of you to assume that’s enough for anyone around here…” Taekwoon was pretty sure that low mumble came from Wonshik, but before he could say anything, Hongbin spoke up.

“Come on, Taekwoon, don’t be like that. You’re not a rock, we all know that. So, tell us: who was the last person you got down with, hm?”

Taekwoon shook his head, though.

“I didn’t-”

“It doesn’t have to be a trainee. Maybe someone in a harbor? Someone special you left behind?” Jaehwan inquired, nearly perching on the armrest of the setee by now as he studied Taekwoon’s face attentively.

“No, I don’t mean-”

“Or _was_ is a trainee, after all? When?” Hongbin sat nearly as attentive as Jaehwan by now.

“I’d never sleep with a trainee!” Taekwoon finally managed to get a whole sentence out without being interrupted. His heated face as he did so didn’t deter anyone, though.

“Ok, that’s cool. We all have morals; or, well, should have morals.” Sanghyuk shrugged. “So, someone in a harbour? Where?”

Taekwoon only shook his head, though.

“Not a harbour? So, someone elsewhere, during a vacation?”

Taekwoon shook his head again. “No! I don’t do one-night stands!”

“Oooh, ok. Something serious, then.” Jaehwan mused, thinking. “Damn, you must have been on a dry spell for a while then, captain. When has it been that you’ve left the ship for more than a few days at once; it must have been years!”

The rest of them nodded solemnly.

“We’ve been friends for ten years and you’ve never mentioned anyone to me…” Wonshik remarked pensively, and Sanghyuk’s eyes nearly fell out of his head.

“Ten years! I would-… I’d shrivel up and die.”

“You’d shrivel up and die after two weeks, Hyukie, you are no standard.”

“Like you are one to talk! You would, too!”

“No.” Jaehwan shook his head seriously. “I’d shrivel up and die after one week. But that’s not the point! Taekwoonie, has it really been over ten years since you had sex?!” He sounded almost sympathetic, as if they were discussing a chronic illness, not their captain’s sex-life; or lack thereof.

“When was your last serious relationship?” Hongbin decided to tack on, and Taekwoon groaned, hiding his head in his hands, but decided to answer anyway, just to get them off his back.

“Fifteen.”

A silence so deep you could hear a pin drop filled the room as they all seemed to hold their breath.

“Fifteen? As in, when you were fifteen years old?” Sanghyuk couldn’t believe it, but Taekwoon nodded.

“How long were you together?”

Taekwoon shrugged at Wonshik’s question, having given up and just hoping that answering would make them lose interest sooner.

“Two weeks, if you count the four days of silence before he broke up with me again, because I didn’t want to- Well…” He trailed off miserably.

The silence that answered him was, if possible, even deeper than before. The other four realized that up until this point, they hadn’t even had an idea what their friend’s sexuality was. That, and-

“Taekwoon, are you… are you a virgin, still?” Jaehwan’s question was nearly a whisper, and Taekwoon whined miserably, hiding his face, but the nod was there.

“No way!” Sanghyuk was the first one to break the silence, his cry incredulous. “How?!”

“I believe it’s quite simple, actually. You just don’t have sex.” Hongbin deadpanned, and Sanghyuk kicked at him.

“Shut up, I know that! But how do you not-”

“Can we please just drop it?” Taekwoon sighed eventually, his voice pleading, but Jaehwan would have none of it.

“Absolutely not! Hyukie’s right, how come you’ve never had sex? Didn’t want to, or…?”

Taekwoon shook his head, sighing again and giving in.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to; or don’t want to. I just… Haven’t found someone I’d want to do it with?” He didn’t sound too sure of himself, even though that was exactly what the case was.

“Oh… So, you wouldn’t want to do it with one of us? You know we’d all be up for it, right?” Jaehwan offered up, and three heads nodded in confirmation. Taekwoon shook his head resolutely, though.

“Absolutely not! I love you, but you are all little shits, and I don’t want you stinking lot discussing my ineptitudes among yourselves and with whomever comes on board afterwards!”

“Taekwoon, we wouldn’t make fun of you, no matter what you’re like in bed!” Wonshik vehemently denied, but quickly changed tone under Taekwoon’s disbelieving glare. “…much. We wouldn’t make fun of you much. Just a little. And probably not for long.”

Taekwoon’s eyeroll couldn’t have spelled “Yeah, of course not” in a more clear and sarcastic tone.

“No. I don’t want to do it with either of you. And I don’t have the confidence to just go up to a random stranger and ask them to deflower me, nor am I going to pretend it’s nothing and I have all the experience just to then make a total fool of myself. So, guess I’m staying a virgin forever! Now, this conversation is over! If you want to change topics, you can stay; if not, you can go back to your own quarters.”

***

Hakyeon still couldn’t believe he’d agreed to this… madness, that was what it was.

One month on a pretend pirate ship to seduce the captain, take his virginity, and if possible, make up for at least part of a decade and a half of missed sex. That was the general job description.

Now, that was not a problem for Hakyeon. He was well versed in the art of sex, there was hardly anything he hadn’t done yet, most of it he’d do again if the payment was right, and since that captain was apparently still a virgin he didn’t expect him to demand anything too crazy from him in the space of just a month; if he even agreed to have sex with him in the first place, which was apparently still very much out there. That wasn’t too big of a concern of Hakyeon’s, though, since never, ever had he encountered someone who could resist him; and he didn’t even need to use his siren powers for that. No matter how shy and stubborn that captain might be, Hakyeon was sure he would have him eventually, long before the four weeks would be up.

It wasn’t the fact that he had been booked for a whole month this time that astounded him, either; nor was it the offered payment, which would easily cover all of his expenses and then some for a good eight to nine months.

No, what gave him pause was the fact that he was to stay on board of a ship for those four weeks. A ship, in the middle of the ocean, which was a pretty small enclosure considering everything, and one from which there was no escaping if things went wrong.

Granted, that Hongbin guy that had hired him seemed very honest and friendly, and everything he told him was nothing but reassuring. The pictures of the captain and the standard crew he had showed all looked very non-threatening, but Hakyeon was still cautious. Well, _now_ he was. Earlier, shortly after hearing the description of that captain’s personality and then seeing pictures of him, Hakyeon had barely thought twice before agreeing on the deal Hongbin proposed.

That captain, that Taekwoon… It would appear that both his personality and his looks were right up Hakyeon’s alley, and if he could choose between hopping from client to client several times a day to make just enough to live off for the time being, and getting a medium-term deal for one guy only that would end up paying for the majority of the year, the choice was quite easy to make. Especially if the guy was hot, and just the kind of person Hakyeon loved to ruin under himself.

Now that he was actually on the ship and getting settled, hiding in the quarters he’d been assigned while the actual crew instructed the new set of trainees through the motions of casting off, doubts finally began to surface in his mind, though. Still, it wasn’t too late yet. If he went up on deck, the captain would see him and if he didn’t mistake him for a new trainee, would figure him out to be a stowaway and throw him back on land.

But, on the other hand… eight to nine months of not having to worry about how he should pay his rent by the end of the month! That surely had to be worth it, even if the captain ended up being a dick… Or if the rest of the core crew decided they wanted a round with him, too. They paid so much…! If only not the entire crew, including trainees, wanted a piece of him, he could deal with it, he was sure. And if all else failed… He wasn’t powerless. He might not have grown up in the sea, but he was still a siren. He had never tried, but he trusted that even he had to have some instincts that would help him swim back to a shore if he had to. And while it was forbidden to use his powers against humans, he wouldn’t hesitate to use them to defend himself if he had to.

No, he wasn’t defenseless, and he wasn’t going to pass up this chance just yet. He’d give it a try first and see how things went.

***

“Captain, we need you to meet someone.” Jaehwan called out to Taekwoon, catching him alone for the first time since the new recruits had come on board.

“What? Haven’t I met everyone yet?”

Jaehwan shook his head. “Of the trainees, yes. But there is someone else, someone you haven’t met yet.”

Taekwoon frowned. “What… How? Stowaway?” He guessed, but Jaehwan shook his head.

“Not exactly. We invited him on board, without your knowledge. Hakyeon…?” He called out, and out of the room next to where Jaehwan was standing, a man stepped out, bowing to Taekwoon.

Taekwoon acknowledged him with a confused incline of his head, giving Jaehwan a sharp, inquisitive look, to which the quartermaster sighed.

“Hakyeon, this is Taekwoon, our captain; Taekwoon, this is Hakyeon. He is a siren, and we’ve pooled together to hire him to take care of your little virginity problem.”

Taekwoon’s face changed colours instantly, going from fair to pale-as-a-ghost, while his eyes widened and mouth fell open in an incredulous gape.

“You- _what?!”_ He gasped out eventually.

“You said you wanted to have sex, but your virginity was in the way. Now, Hakyeon here is an expert in the field, he’s extremely hot, and he won’t mock your inexperience nor will he spill all the juicy details to the rest of us; which is a damned shame, but I guess you can’t have everything. We’ve found you just the right person. Say ‘thank you, you guys are the best!’” Jaehwan grinned, but Taekwoon looked as if he was very, very far from feeling like uttering those words to him.

“Lee Jaehwan! Who said- So what if I said what I did when I was drunk and you wouldn’t stop pestering me! That doesn’t mean you- That you guys should have- This is none of your concern!”

Taekwoon was clearly mad, but Jaehwan paid it no mind.

“You always say if there is a problem that needs fixing, it doesn’t matter who, someone should do it. Since you have a problem and won’t fix it, we took the liberty to do it for you. So, there you go. Have fun!!” With that, he patted the siren’s shoulder and took a hasty leave.

Taekwoon could only stare after Jaehwan in shock, unmoving for the longest time, until a rustling of clothes when the siren shifted in his spot snapped him out of it. Finally, he was able to pick his jaw off the floor, clear his throat and look at the man. And, really look at him.

As much as he hated Jaehwan and the rest of the little assholes he for some reason called friends and employed right now, he had to admit that they had hit the nail on the head when choosing this man for him; at least, on a purely superficial level. This Hakyeon looked like he’d stepped right out of one of his wet dreams! But… That was not important right now, it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t just accept this, he wouldn’t use another person, he didn’t want to- He didn’t even want to think about it, or else he might just combust right then and there; and on a ship made entirely out of wood, self-combustion was not a good idea.

In an attempt to retain any of his sanity, he stormed off, finding Hongbin to discuss bringing the siren back home. Unfortunately, he had to concede defeat quite quickly, seeing as it would throw them a whole day behind schedule to make the entire trip back and here again. In the end, all he could do was accept the situation as it was, and try to make the best out of it. And the best would be to make sure the siren was settled comfortably and hopefully out of his way for the majority of the trip.

So, he found the man again, asking him about the quarters he’d been assigned, and where they lay, mostly so he could avoid them.

“Jaehwan assigned me a space below deck, in the back of the ship. He said I’d be less likely to get seasick there at night.” Hakyeon answered innocently, since he didn’t find anything wrong with the quarters he’d been assigned, but judging by the abrupt colour change of Taekwoon’s face there must be something wrong with it, after all.

“He put you in the brig?! I- I’m going to kill that little rat!” Taekwoon exploded, and Hakyeon hurried to appease the obviously furious captain.

“I’m sorry! If that is a problem, I’ll move anywhere else you tell me immediately!”

“No, no, it’s not you.” Taekwoon hurried to reassure him. “It’s- Never mind. I’ll deal with him later. No, you can’t stay down there. Please, go gather your things, I’ll have you installed somewhere else. The brig; I can’t _believe_ \- I will not stand for this! Meet me again in an hour, right here!” With that, Taekwoon left a confused looking Hakyeon behind once again as he darted off.

Unseen by the two of them, Hongbin and Jaehwan high-fived each other in congratulations; everything was going right according to plan.

***

Nothing was going according to plan. Taekwoon was about ready to scream in frustration, but the hour was up and he had to go meet up with Hakyeon to lead him to his new quarters. Only… He didn’t have any new quarters available for him.

The forecastle was completely booked with the new trainees, as were any and all available parts under deck that could house a person. There was not a single space left open, and no matter what he tried to do, shifting people around, he just couldn’t manage to open up a good enough space for Hakyeon anywhere. He was left with but one single option.

“Mr Hakyeon.” He greeted, his heart heavy with both dread and something else, something that rose abruptly upon laying sight upon the siren. “Would you please follow me.”

Hakyeon didn’t dare disobey. His heart jumped with an undefined emotion upon realizing that the part of the ship Taekwoon was leading him to were the captain’s quarters.

“Since the ship is completely booked, I couldn’t find a good enough substitute for the quarters you were offered, so I offer you my own for the duration of your stay. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you here, I’ll pack what I need for the time of your stay and take it elsewhere.”

Hakyeon could barely keep himself from gaping at the captain’s generosity and the quite comfortably decorated and furnished quarters. It couldn’t be right, though.

“If there are no other quarters… Where will you go?” He had to ask.

Taekwoon didn’t want to answer that question, but he had no way out.

“Below deck.” He tried to be vague, but Hakyeon had a suspicion about where he meant.

“The brig?”

Busted. Taekwoon sighed, but nodded. Instantly, Hakyeon’s face hardened, and it was actually quite intimidating.

“If the brig isn’t good enough for me, how would it be good enough for the captain of the ship? What even is so bad about those quarters, anyway?” He questioned testily.

“It’s not a place befitting of you. Of course, since this ship was built in this century and not the 17th, it never actually served its original purpose, but… the brig is where prisoners used to be locked up in ancient times.”

Hakyeon’s face hardened further, and for being a guest on this ship - especially an unwanted one, at least by the captain – he became quite daring.

“There is no way you can move to the brig, then! Isn’t the whole goal of your tours to provide a back-in-the-day pirate experience for your guests? How would it look in light of that if the captain slept in a cell below deck?! No, you can’t do that. I will take it; wouldn’t I have been a criminal, with my line of profession and being of my species, back then, anyway?”

Taekwoon would never have admitted that the siren was right, and wouldn’t stand for it.

“You will not stay in the brig.” His words were ripe with finality, and yet, Hakyeon didn’t back down.

“Neither will you. If you must offer me your quarters to stay in, stay here, too.”

Taekwoon’s jaw fell for the second time that day.

“What?!”

“We can share. I won’t take up much space, I won’t go through your things, I’ll give you all the privacy I can and stay out of your way. But if I’m not staying in the brig, neither are you.”

Aside from his core crew, Taekwoon had never before met someone as daring and forward as this siren man in front of him, and he was quite positively lost.

***

Taekwoon lost the argument with Hakyeon, and that night he found himself lying awake in his bed with the siren sleeping soundly on the pallet they’d made on the other side of the room. He usually didn’t have any problems sharing his room, or even his bed, with others; at least not if those others were his friends.

Now, Hakyeon, however… Hakyeon was different. Aside from being a stranger, he was too hot, for one. All he could think about now, lying here, was how beautiful the other was, with his deep tan skin, his beautifully sculpted body, that mop of velvety black hair that looked so unbelievable soft it proved a real challenge not to give in to temptation and run his hands through it… And then those eyes, made to get lost in; those lips, that looked so infinitely kissable; that beautiful long neck that seemed to beg for him to bury his face against it, trailing his lips along its length… And all that wasn’t even considering his voice! A voice that sounded sensual no matter what he said, and that took no imagination whatsoever for Taekwoon to be able to picture what it would sound like moaning in pleasure. And it certainly didn’t help at all that he was all too aware at all times of the reason why exactly Hakyeon was on board the SSS Navy Gold in the first place.

The more he thought about it, the more appealing the thought to give in and accept what Hakyeon had been hired for became. He could just about imagine what it would be like, to kiss those beautiful lips… To feel his honey-warm skin under his hands, his godly sculpted body moving against his own, to hear his whispers and moans as they-

But sadly, that was all there was to it, it was just imagination, and he just _knew_ that nothing he could imagine would ever compare to the real deal. Nothing would ever feel like it would if it was Hakyeon running his hands over his body, if it was Hakyeon pushing his fingers past the elastic of his pants, cupping his entire length, playing with his soft sac-

A small moan tumbled past his lips, and the sound echoing in the quiet room made him freeze. What if Hakyeon heard him? No, scratch that! Whether he heard him or not was irrelevant; he shouldn’t be doing this in the first place! It was totally inappropriate, to get off to thoughts of Hakyeon with the man sleeping just a few meters over in the same room!

“What the hell am I doing…” He whispered quietly as he pulled his hand away from his rather painful erection and rolled onto his side, forcing himself to think about any and everything else but Hakyeon, until he finally fell asleep.

Little did he know, that those few meters away, Hakyeon lay awake with an amused smile on his face, thankfully hidden by the dark of night. So, this captain was at least definitely sexually interested, and if that breathless moan of his name was any indication, he wasn’t immune to Hakyeon’s charms at all. This would make things so, so much easier for Hakyeon!

***

Taekwoon didn’t sleep well. Vivid dreams plagued him all night, and he woke up with an embarrassing wet stain in his boxers; so much for having left the horny teenage years far behind!

“Good morning, captain! I hope you had a good night?” Hakyeon greeted him with a sunny smile just as he was finishing getting dressed.

Taekwoon whipped around, somehow having managed to forget that Hakyeon was in the same room as him as he went about getting dressed without a care in the world. Judging by Hakyeon’s level of alertness, he must definitely have been awake for a while now, and most likely saw all of him as he dressed himself.

“Don’t worry, I figured you must have forgotten about me when you started to strip and didn’t look until just now.” Hakyeon reassured; at least it was probably meant in a reassuring way, though it completely failed with Taekwoon.

Somehow, Taekwoon managed to gather enough composure to greet Hakyeon with a nod.

“That’s very kind of you. I apologize for my carelessness. I’ll take my leave now, so you can get ready yourself.”

Before Hakyeon could even think of an answer, Taekwoon was already out of the door. Hakyeon looked unseeingly at the spot Taekwoon had just disappeared from, his thoughts wandering.

He’d lied, he had definitely taken the chance to look as Taekwoon undressed and dressed again, and he didn’t regret it. Taekwoon was a sight to behold, and he really wouldn’t mind getting a piece of all _that_ , now even less than before. He just had to rethink his strategy to get Taekwoon to give in and give himself to him. Clearly, teasing was the wrong approach, for it would only send the shy captain running. No, he had to be more subtle, more careful… He would have to woo him, seduce him properly, like an innocent young maiden. It was not something Hakyeon had to do often, since he usually didn’t have neither the time nor the necessity, but right now, right here… It was not only his only option, but also the perfect opportunity to use all his charms, playing the part of the perfect lover not just in the sheets but also- well, in this case, not exactly the streets. But those were details.

Finishing his morning routine as best he could with little more than the means of the 17th century, Hakyeon was just about to leave the room when a knock sounded on the door.

“Mr Hakyeon?”

It was Taekwoon, and Hakyeon went to open the door.

“Yes, Captain?”

Taekwoon startled, but quickly composed himself again, clearing his throat.

“I came to ask you if you’d like to take breakfast with me, and the rest of the crew. It’s served.”

Now, that was a development Hakyeon hadn’t expected, but didn’t loathe for sure.

“Sure!” He answered, just before being taken off guard himself as Taekwoon offered him his arm to escort him down to the mess. Reacting quickly, Hakyeon linked his own with it, following Taekwoon.

“You make quite the gallant pirate, Captain.” Hakyeon couldn’t keep himself from remarking, and Taekwoon blushed slightly, moving to unlink his arm from Hakyeon’s.

“Sorry, the mannerisms become a habit after so much play-pretend sometimes…”

Hakyeon didn’t let him pull away just like that, however, patting his arm placatingly.

“It’s not a bad thing, just an observation. How come, though, that the mannerisms that get stuck are… like this?”

Taekwoon glanced over at Hakyeon shortly before fixing his gaze back on the way he was leading.

“You mean, ‘gallant’? Pirates weren’t actually all brutes without manners, you know. Quite the contrary, actually.” He explained hesitantly, keeping himself from diving head-first into a lecture about his favourite topic in case Hakyeon wasn’t actually interested.

“Oh? They weren’t?”

Taekwoon shook his head. ‘Don’t lecture!’, he kept reminding himself in his mind, but elaborated anyway.

“No. Whereas the aristocracy, which we always see portrayed as the well-mannered, cultured and educated class, were courteous with each other, they rarely were courteous to anyone else that wasn’t of the same or a higher level in the social hierarchy. Pirates, on the other hand, being mostly people of the lower ranks of society, treated everyone the same, no matter if they were a slave or a king. A pirate captain was rarely to never someone who ascended to their position because of their social status, but was rather voted into it democratically by the crew because of their skill and likeability. Excessive and unnecessary cruelty and demeaning behaviour were actually frowned upon, unless used as intimidation tactics on raids. The goal of a captain would always be to appear fierce and ruthless to enemies and prey, but stay well-liked and respected by their crew, else they’d very quickly get rid of them and elect a new captain. Someone who looked down on others and didn’t show them due respect would never even make it to the position of captain.”

Hakyeon nodded along to Taekwoon’s explanation, genuinely invested.

“So, I suppose I’m neither enemy nor prey in this case, then. What would I be instead?”

“A guest, someone to be treated with the utmost respect and courteousness, as the rules of hospitality dictate.”

Hakyeon rose his eyebrows in slight surprise at that, not having expected that. His expression became neutral again as Taekwoon stopped them in front of the door to the mess, turning to face Hakyeon with a serious expression.

“That being said… You are my guest in every way, whether you decide to engage with the crew and trainees in our pirate play during your stay or not. You are welcome to if you want to, but no one expects you to, either. You are welcome to join us for meals and festivities, too, regardless of your decision, and as a spectator in maneuvers and shows as long as you make sure to stay somewhere that won’t compromise neither your nor anyone else’s safety. Only should we encounter a real dangerous or tricky situation will I ask you to stay in my quarters, for safety reasons.”

Hakyeon’s mouth opened and closed again as he had to take a moment to reformulate what he was going to say, truthfully not expecting such kindness and apparent change of heart from the day before from the captain.

“Thank you. I’ll… take your offers into consideration and let you know.” He managed eventually, and Taekwoon nodded, turning to open the door for Hakyeon, letting him step in first.

***

Hakyeon had decided not to participate in the activities involving the pirate play, maneuvering and maintaining the ship. He enjoyed watching the trainees and crew from time to time, but more than that, he enjoyed watching their captain. True to his little excurse about pirates and their captains, Taekwoon didn’t shy away from the same labor his crew engaged in, hoisting and furling sails, bailing water from the bilge and scrubbing decks with the rest of them when the need called for it. Most often, his tasks were of other natures, though, and in between them, he found a surprising amount of time to spend with Hakyeon, proving himself to be quite the skilled host.

Hakyeon might have faked interest in the ways of the pirates of back in the day at first to engage Taekwoon in conversation, but gradually, he found himself asking out of genuine interest, if mostly to figure out why the subject interested Taekwoon so much. That, and because he found himself enamored with the way Taekwoon’s entire being lit up when he talked about something he was as passionate about as pirates and his ship.

In turn, Taekwoon made an effort to turn the focus of their conversations around every so often, putting Hakyeon in the spotlight. Now, Hakyeon only really liked to claim the spotlight in the field he was confident in, in the matters of seduction and the bedroom. And yet, he found himself opening up to Taekwoon, telling him about himself and a variety of things he was sure he had never admitted to anyone else before. As much as Taekwoon was a passionate story-teller when it came to his interests, he was also a great listener and able to offer quite sound advice whenever Hakyeon showed that was something he was looking for.

Their conversations soon turned deep and well-versed, and before either knew it, they would even be able to say they were close to each other; and that after only knowing each other for a mere week.

“Do you want to come on a land-trip with me today?” Taekwoon asked suddenly, over breakfast, one day after a week on sea.

“Land-trip?”

Taekwoon hummed.

“We’re practicing docking, mooring and casting off on a small island today. Jaehwan gave me a list of things we need to stock up on, and I was wondering if you’d like to come with me, and maybe, uh, well… Go out with me?”

That was unexpected, but at this point, Hakyeon was learning to always expect the unexpected from Taekwoon.

“Like, on a date?” He asked, still, just to make sure.

“Yes.” Taekwoon didn’t hesitate to confirm.

A small fluttering rose in Hakyeon’s chest. It had been forever and a day since he’d last been asked out on a date. But, honestly, he should have expected that from Taekwoon at this point. Really, with every day that passed, and every new gesture such as this one that Taekwoon suddenly came up with, he was no longer sure who was trying to woo and seduce who between the two of them.

“I would love to!” Hakyeon answered quickly; maybe a little too quickly, but he told himself that his decision was only so quick because he didn’t want to leave Taekwoon hanging and waiting for an answer for too long, to keep him from stressing about it.

If it was due to Hakyeon’s quick and enthusiastic answer or not, neither would be able to tell later on, but Taekwoon was in a very good mood, perhaps the most relaxed and generally content Hakyeon had met him in so far, as they disembarked and made their way into the small coastal town.

“I don’t have anything planned as a date here, since I didn’t expect to actually go on land during this stop. So, let’s do something spontaneously once we’re done with the shopping, ok?” Taekwoon suggested with a smile upon exiting the second to last store he had to stop at.

“Of course, sounds great. Do you have anything in mind? I don’t know this island, so I wouldn’t know what to do…”

Taekwoon smiled dopily as he thought about options they had.

“We can go have lunch at the cliff restaurant. It’s a restaurant that’s built into the cliff, with an outdoors terrace with a glass floor protruding out over the water.”

Hakyeon’s eyes widened. “Something like that exists? Isn’t that… really dangerous and reckless?”

Taekwoon nodded but shrugged at the same time. “I suppose it was built to last for a good time, not a long time…”

“In that case, we have to go now, before it inevitably collapses, right?” Hakyeon actually couldn’t wait to see that restaurant for himself now that Taekwoon had mentioned it. Noticing Hakyeon’s spiked interest, Taekwoon chuckled.

“If that is their marketing strategy, it definitely worked on you. Let’s do it, then; I just need to order some resin for Jaehwan in that shop up ahead, and then we can go!”

Before long, the two had made their way up the cliffs and to the peculiar restaurant, getting seated on the outdoors terrace. Hakyeon was enchanted by the view, if a little terrified of the view right under him, where the waves crashed threateningly against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Still, fascination won out in the end, and he refused to opt for a seat inside instead, within the man-made cave housing the restaurant in the cliff’s rocks. The food served was delicious, too, and conversation with Taekwoon was always easy.

Later, Hakyeon would always look back to this date fondly, proclaiming that it was the best date location he’d ever been taken on, and this date with Taekwoon the most unforgettable of his entire life.

Taekwoon himself seemed also quite pleased with how the date turned out, yet when asked about it later, what he recalled with the most fondness was neither the view or the food, but rather how Hakyeon, a little spooked by the glass floor still when they eventually got up from their table at the end of the meal, clung onto his arm to ground himself; and then proceeded to not let go the entire way back to the ship. It started to rain half-way there, too, but still Hakyeon wouldn’t let go as they sprinted the last few hundred meters down the pier.

By the time they reached the gangway and darted on board the SSS Navy Gold, they were both soaked to the bone, and yet laughter bubbled out of them uncontrollably as they stumbled their way astern to the captain’s quarters.

While Taekwoon was definitely seaworthy, Hakyeon wasn’t as used to slippery decks and relied heavily on Taekwoon for balance; in turn causing Taekwoon to slip on the soaked planks, too. They made for quite the sight, yet neither noticed or cared for the incredulous looks they were getting from the crew as they behaved like the most tragic landlubbers on their way across the main deck and until Taekwoon’s door shut behind them.

Still laughing, Hakyeon stumbled as he swung around, his momentum and unbroken hold onto Taekwoon’s arm pulling him back as the captain stopped just inside the door. He might have fallen if Taekwoon hadn’t caught him, but like this, he suddenly found himself securely in the circle of Taekwoon’s arms.

His laughter died on his tongue as his eyes rose to meet Taekwoon’s and found his gaze bearing down on him with a near scorching intensity that had him forget all about his wet clothes; and the world in general, to be quite honest.

“Hakyeon… May I kiss you?” Taekwoon eventually asked, his voice suddenly breathless and hoarse. And yet, he was still better off than Hakyeon, who had seemingly lost his voice altogether for the time being, and resorted to a mute nod.

Taekwoon was hesitant as he leaned in to catch Hakyeon’s lips with his own; as soon as he did, though, Hakyeon was shaken out of his momentary trance and reciprocated the kiss with growing enthusiasm.

In no time at all, Taekwoon’s brain had ceased all rational functioning, following Hakyeon’s lead in the kiss blindly, letting him coax his lips apart and explore him to his heart’s content. He tried to give back, but Hakyeon seemed all too pleased having the upper hand in this situation, and if he was being honest, Taekwoon didn’t loathe it, either.

Hakyeon was careful as he gently took the upper hand, not wanting to scare or overwhelm Taekwoon, who was very obviously painfully inexperienced. Still, he quickly followed Hakyeon’s lead, seeming to melt in Hakyeon’s hands even though Hakyeon did little more than hold on to him. Seeing as Taekwoon eagerly pushed into Hakyeon’s hold, though, the siren slowly grew bolder, starting to caress where he held Taekwoon through his clothes. It wasn’t much, but Taekwoon reacted as if he was lighting his skin on fire, shivering and shaking under Hakyeon’s touch, seeking more and more; and Hakyeon gave it to him.

It was as if Taekwoon never wanted to pull away, and so it was Hakyeon who broke the kiss eventually, hands firmly on Taekwoon’s hips.

“Taekwoon… Can I touch you? May I…” He tugged slightly on the hem of Taekwoon’s shirt, and Taekwoon’s knees near buckled as he nodded frantically.

“Yes- yes, please! I- take it off!”

Hakyeon had not expected that kind of eagerness, but he was not about to complain. Swiftly, he helped Taekwoon out of his soaked clothes, and in the middle of it all steered him over to his bed.

“You, too?” Taekwoon’s request came shyly, but Hakyeon complied without hesitation, stripping down to his underwear as well.

“It’s cold, come here.” He coaxed as he saw Taekwoon shivering, damp skin erupting in goosebumps in the chilly air of the room, and wrapped the both of them in Taekwoon’s blankets. It served two purposes: warming them, and taking the edge off Taekwoon’s now apparent nervousness at the sight of so much exposed skin between the two of them. Plus, it came with the added benefit to bring them closer together once again.

Taekwoon really relaxed as soon as the blanket covered them, letting Hakyeon push him to lie on his back while he laid down as well, half next to him, half over him, engaging him in another kiss. Hakyeon’s hands roamed chastely over Taekwoon’s body at first, exploring the bumps and dips of his stomach and chest but avoiding all the more sensitive areas; which was tricky, since it would appear that Taekwoon’s entire body was extremely sensitive, judging by the way he shivered and pushed into Hakyeon’s hands as he explored.

In turn, it took Hakyeon taking Taekwoon’s hands into his own and placing them on his own body for Taekwoon to dare reciprocate the journey of exploration, but as soon as he did, Taekwoon was all too eager himself. Their making out soon became messy, and it was Taekwoon who eventually ground up his hips against Hakyeon’s thigh, looking for friction and touch in that specific area Hakyeon had been avoiding on purpose so far.

“Taekwoon…” Hakyeon managed to keep his voice stable, his tone neither completely a warning nor a question, yet it stilled Taekwoon, prompting him to look up and find Hakyeon’s gaze.

“I- can we, Hakyeon? Please?”

Hakyeon searched Taekwoon’s eyes for any kind of uncertainty, yet his search was inconclusive.

“Are you sure, Taekwoon? Do you really want this?”

Taekwoon nodded, and there was definitely no hesitation to be found in the gesture.

Hakyeon leaned down, kissing Taekwoon fervently for a second, maybe two, before pulling back again.

“Ok. Wait here for a second, ok?”

Taekwoon nodded again, and Hakyeon got up and out of the bed, rushing over to his things to pull out something Taekwoon couldn’t identify before joining him in bed again.

“Lube and condoms.” Hakyeon explained, leaving the objects within easy reach as he adjusted the blanket around them again. “We’re not doing this without.”

Taekwoon didn’t dare say anything in turn, because really, what did he know, after all? He was completely content just following Hakyeon’s lead.

“I know you haven’t done this before, but do you think you’ll have any preference? Something you’ve found while experimenting, perhaps?” Hakyeon inquired between kisses eventually, and Taekwoon’s gaze turned shy again, his cheeks colouring adorably.

“I’m not sure… But I think I don’t want anything inside me just yet?” He answered eventually, and Hakyeon smiled reassuringly, kissing him again.

“That’s fine with me. Do you want to be inside me instead?”

Taekwoon’s breath hitched, and Hakyeon could feel Taekwoon’s erection jump where it was resting against his thigh as he nodded.

“Perfect. I really want you inside of me, too.” Hakyeon whispered, kissing Taekwoon again as his hand trailed downwards and finally cupped Taekwoon, through his boxers at first, but he ended up making quick work of the piece of fabric and stroked Taekwoon to complete hardness to roll the condom on.

Taekwoon was in a hazy state through it all, pleasure overwhelming him as Hakyeon finally touched him where he longed for it the most, and he nearly missed Hakyeon covering his length in a copious amount of lube, as well as spreading the slippery substance around his own entrance after getting rid of his own underwear and positioning himself over Taekwoon.

“Woon… Listen for a second, ok?”

Taekwoon blinked his eyes open lazily, finding Hakyeon’s serious gaze.

“What I’m doing right now… If you ever want to turn it around and bottom yourself, don’t let anyone tell you you don’t need preparing, ok? I’ve kept myself ready for you this entire time, so I don’t need it, but you definitely would, alright?”

Taekwoon’s mind was hazy and he was barely able to make out the words Hakyeon was saying, never mind their meaning. It was quite apparent to Hakyeon, too, and he sighed in defeat.

“Never mind… I’ll tell you again another time.”

Taekwoon’s mind cleared just enough and he nodded.

“Maybe show me another time… But, now… Please, Yeonie… I need you!”

A surge of something unidentified ripped through Hakyeon, making him shudder as he angled his hips over Taekwoon, ready to impale himself on him. He would claim that it was the neediness in Taekwoon’s voice as he begged for him that got to him, but he couldn’t fool himself if he was being honest. His name, falling like that from Taekwoon’s lips, stirred something in him he didn’t know he craved. Still, he banned it from his mind for the time being as he took Taekwoon into his hand and guided him inside himself.

Taekwoon’s breath locked in his chest, his eyes rolling back in his head as sensations the likes of which he had never felt before ripped through his body and he involuntarily canted his hips up, driving himself deeper into Hakyeon’s heat.

“Don’t move!” Hakyeon near growled, pinning Taekwoon’s hips to the bed, and Taekwoon’s eyes flew back open, staring at Hakyeon in a mix of lust and fear. Hakyeon fought to smooth his expression out, softening the look he was giving Taekwoon. “Give me a moment, love. You are- just perfect, but I still need a moment. It’s been longer than usual, after all…”

It took everything in Taekwoon to heed Hakyeon’s command and not move, but biting his lip, he managed. Until Hakyeon moved himself, and a choked cry ripped itself out of Taekwoon’s throat as he threw his head back and- _tried_ to buck up, to no avail. Hakyeon possessed a surprising amount of strength, keeping him pinned down as he started moving, slowly at first, but soon finding a rhythm.

Taekwoon was so overwhelmed by the new and overpowering sensations he didn’t even notice Hakyeon’s grip on his hips slackening and eventually disappearing, keeping still as if out of habit despite no longer being pinned down. He snapped out of it when Hakyeon’s lips found his own eventually, locking him in a searing kiss while Hakyeon’s hands found their way to his chest, caressing and kneading, teasing his sensitive nipples whenever his fingers found them.

“You with me, Woon?” Hakyeon murmured against Taekwoon’s lips as he broke the kiss, and Taekwoon nodded breathlessly.

“Yes.”

Hakyeon smiled against his lips. “Good. You can move, love. Come, take what you need from me.”

Taekwoon nearly choked, but it was all it took for him to follow Hakyeon’s request and cant his hips up again, driving himself deep into Hakyeon.

“That’s it, baby. Just like that.” Hakyeon moaned, meeting Taekwoon’s still erratic thrusts. “Yes…! Try- whatever makes you feel best. Fuck, Taekwoon-”

Whether the blush spreading from Taekwoon’s cheeks down his neck and to his chest came from exertion or from getting flustered by Hakyeon’s praise, neither knew, but Taekwoon sure gave his everything, and all too soon the precarious rhythm he had found in the meantime started to falter.

With a sure grip, Hakyeon had Taekwoon’s movements still again, eliciting a desperate whine from Taekwoon.

“Shh, love. I got you. Soon, ok?” Hakyeon soothed him between kisses as he pulled off Taekwoon and eventually flipped the two of them around. Lying on his back, he pulled Taekwoon closer by his hips, wrapping his legs around Taekwoon’s torso.

“Guide yourself inside me, come on. And then take me, like you mean it!” He instructed, and Taekwoon followed blindly. A breathless cry fled Hakyeon’s throat as Taekwoon bottomed out. “That’s it, love. Go on, move! Make it hard, ok? Don’t think you’ll break me or something. Give me everything you’ve got!”

Taekwoon tried, but he was still tentative at first. With Hakyeon’s encouragement, however, he got there eventually, slamming into the siren with vigor and eventually finding that one spot that had Hakyeon screaming in pleasure.

“Fuck, Woon! Yes!” Hakyeon’s cries spurred Taekwoon on, his one goal becoming to keep Hakyeon yelling those encouragements in pleasured abandon, so much so he barely registered his own orgasm building.

Hakyeon, however, in the middle of wave after wave of pleasure washing over him, still managed to pick up on the signs that Taekwoon was close, and deliberately clenched around him. Taekwoon’s hips stuttered, but Hakyeon gripping his shoulders, then slinging his arms around his neck and pulling him in for a messy and passionate kiss, grounded him.

“Don’t stop, love, don’t stop. Keep going, come on, I know you can do it… Harder, Woon, give me everything you have…!” Hakyeon encouraged, and Taekwoon’s thrusts became harder again, faster, too, as he tried to ignore the way Hakyeon would clench around him with the sole goal to please Hakyeon in mind.

Hakyeon soon felt his own climax approaching, and quite rapidly at that. He didn’t hold back, and all it took was him reaching down between them, fisting his hand around his own cock, and he toppled over the edge.

Thick ropes of white splashed across Taekwoon’s and his stomachs while his body clamped down around Taekwoon.

“Yes, Taekwoonie! Yes! Oh, god…! Taekwoon, Woon, Woonie… No, don’t stop, come on, keep going… Come for me, Woon, love! Come, let go…!”

All it took was for those words to fall past Hakyeon’s lips for Taekwoon’s whole body to go rigid, his back arching as he threw his head back and drove himself deep into Hakyeon, his seed filling the condom as Hakyeon milked him with his tight walls.

As quick as his orgasm had hit him, Taekwoon’s strength left him, too, and he collapsed half on the bed, half on top of Hakyeon, completely boneless. It was Hakyeon who rolled him off himself gently, pulling himself off his softening cock and taking the condom off as well. Taekwoon barely registered Hakyeon cleaning him up, but he was very aware of him pulling him into a comforting embrace, snuggling close under the blankets and holding him as if he was infinitely precious.

“You did so well, Woonie… You were so good, absolutely perfect… You made me feel so good, so incredibly good…” Hakyeon whispered slowly next to his ear, leaving small kisses and gentle caresses as he talked. “Did you feel good, too? Did you like it?”

Taekwoon slowly registered he was being asked a question, and the meaning a while later, and nodded slowly.

“Aww, baby, you’re completely spent, aren’t you… Don’t force yourself, rest up. I’m here, I’m with you, I won’t go anywhere.” Hakyeon reassured when Taekwoon moved to hold on to him tightly, as if afraid he was going to leave him. True to his suspicion, Taekwoon relaxed again as he reassured him he didn’t need to worry about him leaving.

Within minutes, Taekwoon was fast asleep in Hakyeon’s arms, and Hakyeon couldn’t help but coo silently at the cute captain, inexplicable feelings rising within him that told him to cherish and protect this innocent man with his entire being. It might have been just the afterglow, Hakyeon couldn’t be sure. What he didn’t really want to acknowledge was the fact he had never felt like this during an afterglow before, though. Usually, he was quite happy when he got to come and the whole ordeal was over, immediately ready to move on and out of the bed. Yet with Taekwoon, he didn’t feel like moving at all, for one, and was actively looking forward to the next time they’d sleep together; hoping with all his being that there would be a next time, that Taekwoon would want him again, that this wasn’t a one-time thing.

As much as he didn’t want to acknowledge those thoughts and feelings, underneath it all grew one notion he couldn’t quite ignore: no matter what would happen from here one out, he was fucked. In the literal sense, of course, but more than that… He was fucked, and more so than he had ever been in that literal sense. And it scared the shit out of him.


	2. The Siren Calls Back

Taekwoon didn't know what he expected after his night with Hakyeon, but apparently it wasn't waking up all snuggled up with the siren the next morning. Nor was it Hakyeon waiting for him to wake up to greet him with a soft "Good morning", face adorably squished where his cheek was pillowed on Taekwoon's arm. If the warm and swoopy feeling in his gut - paired with the flutter in his chest - were any indication, though, he was not that upset about it. In fact he would gladly have stayed in bed with Hakyeon for the rest of the day, if duty didn't call.

Unfortunately, as soon as Taekwoon woke up sufficiently to register where he was, with whom, and the significance of the situation, there was a sharp knock on the door.

"Captain! I know rolling around in the sheets all day must sound very appealing right now, but there is a crew awaiting orders!" The quartermaster yelled, loud and clear and for probably the whole ship to hear. Taekwoon groaned, wanting to disappear rather than ever step out of his cabin again to face his crew. 

They were on a replica of a 17th century galleon; sound proof walls were not exactly a thing back then. And if he remembered correctly, neither him nor Hakyeon had been particularly worried about staying quiet the night before. Now, he would pay the price for that lack of inhibition via his crew's teasing. 

For a moment, he considered jumping off the ship to avoid the pending confrontation, but Hakyeon's hold on him tightening and a kiss to his forehead had him reconsider. 

"Go on. You'll be fine, promise." The siren murmured against Taekwoon's lips before closing in for a proper kiss. It only made it harder for Taekwoon to find the motivation to leave his bed, though. He only made it when Hakyeon gently pushed him off, breaking their kiss.

"Tonight, if you want." He whispered in Taekwoon's ear. "But now, go. Your crew is waiting." 

Hakyeon's words completely bypassed Taekwoon's brain, heading straight south. He wasn’t allowed to act on his body’s demands, though, since Hakyeon pushed him off.

Reluctantly, he got dressed and ready to head up for breakfast, mentally preparing himself for the jokes and crude teasing from his friends, too; as if he could ever be prepared for that!

“Ready?” Hakyeon appeared at his side, fully dressed and impeccably styled. Taekwoon hadn’t expected that, but he was far from opposed to Hakyeon’s company. If they went up together, maybe the jokes would target both of them and not him alone, and a shared burden was half the burden; right?

“Ready.” He decided quietly, and Hakyeon took his hand. 

Now, Taekwoon might be the captain of the ship, and not used to be led anywhere on it, but if it was Hakyeon leading the way, tugging him along… He actually didn’t mind too much. Still, when they joined the crew in the galley, they stepped in at the same time. Everyone’s heads turned to them at once, and while Taekwoon wanted to hide from the attention, Hakyeon beamed at them.

“Good morning, everyone! What’s for breakfast?” And with that, he strolled in, and towards the table Taekwoon usually sat at with his fixed crew; and now with him, as well.

It was as if Hakyeon’s words had taken the wind out of the sails of teasing, and to Taekwoon’s great relief, he was not subjected to any of it.

At least for the morning.

“Guess you’re not a virgin anymore, huh?” Jaehwan murmured later that day when they were discussing the course to take to the next port, up on the quarterdeck. Before Taekwoon could say anything, though, the quartermaster ducked his head with a snicker and scurried off with a quick. “Alright, gotta go!”

As Taekwoon looked after him, confused, he noticed Hakyeon leaning against the railing, not too far away, down on the main deck. When Taekwoon’s eyes landed on him, he turned, giving him a bright smile as he squinted against the sun. 

Taewoon smiled back, a flutter starting in his stomach, and then turned away before his thoughts could take a - right now - very impractical turn.

“So, how was it last night? I heard-” Sanghyuk interrupted himself and his question, too, when they were heading to the map room to discuss their mock battle maneuvers. “I heard you slept in this morning. I hope you didn’t catch a cold in the rain yesterday? Are you feeling ok?” 

Taekwoon frowned at Hyuk’s sudden change of attitude. Since when did the brat- Oh. 

“Hey guys.” Hakyeon greeted, coming up to them. “I’m heading up to chill and read on the forecastle. I hope that’s ok?”

“Y-yes, sure!” Hyuk answered hastily, and Taekwoon nodded as well.

“Cool. See you later!” 

As he passed them, he briefly let a hand rest on Taekwoon’s arm, squeezing shortly, before continuing on his way.

“Not gonna lie… He’s scary as fuck.” Sanghyuk shuddered. “Is he that scary in b- Oh hey, forgot something?” He quickly broke off when Hakyeon suddenly doubled back.

“Sunglasses.” Hakyeon answered with a sugar sweet smile, and Sanghyuk - Hyuk: hulking, gigantic, spoiled baby bully Hyuk who feared nothing and no one, especially not authority or his elders - stepped behind Taekwoon as if hiding from Hakyeon. 

Wow. 

Such power. 

Taekwoon was amazed. And, quite frankly, also turned on. 

“You think? I think he’s just being… Very nice, actually.” For once, Taekwoon got to cherish Hyuk being stunned to silence, and continued on his way to the map room. “You coming?” Ah, how sweet it was to actually feel in charge with someone from his own crew for once!

***

Taekwoon made it through the day without truly being accosted by his friends even once. They might have tried, but thought better of it before they could take their teasing anywhere. 

And then, it was night again, and Taekwoon fell into bed, exhausted but relieved.

“Taekwoon?” Hakyeon called quietly, and Taekwoon opened his arms, without opening his eyes. 

“Want to come in?”

The answer he got was his mattress dipping and then Hakyeon’s weight settling against his side. He wrapped his arms around him.

“Do you know how hot it is that my friends seem to be kind of scared of you?”

“Oh? They are?” Hakyeon asked with a chuckle, to which Taekwoon answered with a hum. “What about you?” Hakyeon purred.

“Hmm…” Taekwoon thought about it for a moment. “I know you could be scary, if you wanted to. But I think as long as I don’t give you a reason to be… I should be safe. So no, I’m not scared. I just find that very attractive about you.”

Hakyeon giggled.  _ Giggled! _

Hakyeon didn’t giggle, and he didn’t blush, and he didn’t get butterflies over someone calling him attractive, no. Yet here he was, and-

And it was absolutely  _ terrifying,  _ and he really needed to do something about this. First of all, was distraction. And that worked best if he just did what he did best.

He rolled his weight half on top of Taekwoon, propping himself up over him so he could look down into his face.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Taekwoon smiled lazily, his body reacting with interest.

“So… Are you still interested in my promise from this morning?”

Taekwoon’s eyes darkened, and as soon as he gave an affirmative sign, Hakyeon dove in, kissing him senseless.

***

Taekwoon attributed it to pure luck that he had managed to get through the first day after his first night with Hakyeon relatively unbothered. Well, luck in the sense that Hakyeon tended to show up whenever someone started needling him, and of course the inexplicable fear and slash or respect his crew had of the siren. He never expected it to hold for another day, yet that was exactly what happened. Only this time, Hakyeon didn’t even need to show up, his friends just didn’t seem too keen on broaching the topic altogether; no that he minded, at all.

He was left unbothered, even if he caught the occasional puzzled look and glance. He didn’t think too much of it, and he expected the confrontation to come at some point, anyway. For the time being, as long as it didn’t come, however, he wouldn’t invite it, either, and just focus on his job as captain, as usual.

The days passed, and they trained maneuvers with the eager students, a battle scenario, what to do in a storm - despite the sky being clear and the sea calm. They had a victory feast after their ‘battle’, complete with song and dance, and for once, even Taekwoon danced; of course, convinced by a certain siren. 

Truthfully, not much convincing had been necessary, since the siren seemed to live to dance, barely ever stopping once he’d started, and Taekwoon was so mesmerized that he jumped at the chance to witness Hakyeon’s incredible dancing from up close; and if up close meant right in front of him, even brushing against his own body, he was not opposed to that at all.

The dancing didn’t last too long for Taekwoon and Hakyeon together, since before long both were so aroused that Hakyeon shamelessly tugged Taekwoon off the dance-floor and towards their cabin. There, the dance changed tune, and they only sunk into the pillows, well spent and exhausted, long after the music and dance on deck stopped. 

For a week, they lived in blissful happiness, until they reached the port marking the half-way point of their journey. 

For Taekwoon, that suddenly reminded him that his time together with Hakyeon was finite, and that half of it was already over. It threw him into a somber mood for the day they spent anchored in the harbour. He stayed behind, alone, while he sent everyone else on land. At least, he thought everyone else had gone on land, and therefore he was extremely startled when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Wha-” He yelled, before he recognized his first mate. “Wonshik? What are you doing here?”

Wonshik shrugged. “I pulled the short stick of who got to stay behind on watch duty.” 

“Oh… You didn’t need to stay behind. You can go on land, too, I’m taking over watch duty.”

Wonshik shook his head, though. “You misunderstand. I’m not watching the ship. I’m watching you.”

“Me?” Taekwoon thought he’d heard wrong. “Why?”

“You’ve been… Weird, lately.” Wonshik admitted, without hesitating for long. He was honest like that. “Worrying us.”

“How so?”

Wonshik hummed, leaning against the railing and watching the seagulls swarm around a fisher boat that was just coming into the harbour.

“Ever since you’ve… Started sleeping with Hakyeon. You’ve- Your behaviour with us, it has changed.”

Taekwoon frowned as he studied Wonshik’s pensive and worried expression. 

“How so?” He repeated.

Wonshik sighed. 

“You’re so… Bright, suddenly. Almost loud. Happy, all the time. Smiling often. Hell, you even  _ danced _ the other night!”

Taekwoon’s frown intensified. “And that’s bad? How?”

“No, that’s not bad, not at all!” Wonshik hastened to reassure him. “On the contrary! We’re just worried about what we believe is the reason for it. And… About what will happen, once... that reason… leaves.” His voice petered out towards the end, so much so that the last word was barely above a whisper and nearly got carried away by the wind. Taekwoon only just caught it, still.

And it crashed into him with the force of a cannon ball. 

Of course, his own thoughts had been revolving around that exact same scenario all day already, too, but hearing someone else say it, confirming it… It came with a weight he hadn’t expected and wasn’t ready for.

“Hey… You good?” Wonshik asked eventually, when Taekwoon didn’t answer for too long.

Taekwoon nodded shakily. “Yeah… I think… I mean, I knew this from the get-go, I just… It wasn’t planned, you know?”

Wonshik hummed. “These things rarely are…” He sighed, after another pause. “You really don’t do this… This whole thing without feelings, do you.”

It wasn’t a question, but Taekwoon answered anyway, shaking his head. “No. I fall easily, when it just… feels right. Which is why I tend to… Well. Not- not try to find out if it feels right in the first place. I’d rather save myself the pain of when it inevitably has to end again so fast.”

Wonshik hurt for his captain and friend, and without knowing what to tell him for comfort, he simply offered him a hug. Taekwoon accepted, and for a long time, they just stood there like that on deck, hugging each other, chins hooked over each other’s shoulders, providing and taking comfort.

“What will you do now?” Wonshik asked eventually, after a long time, breaking the silence, though just barely.

“I don’t know.” Taekwoon answered, just as quietly. “I really don’t. Probably just… enjoy it as long as I can. And then… What can I do? I’ll just have to get over it.”

That sounded wrong, to both of them; so very wrong. But, really, what else was there that they could do? 

***

The way back to their starting point and Hakyeon’s home port passed way faster than the trip out; or at least, it felt like it. 

After that one conversation with Wonshik on deck, no one mentioned Hakyeon leaving again during the next to weeks. Not that anyone needed to.

It hung like a cloud over Taekwoon, and some would argue Hakyeon, too. And yet, when they were together, neither showed it. At least not outwardly. 

They slept together every night; literally, sharing a bed, and also- well. 

Not a single time it felt like a chore for Hakyeon, though, not ever did he have to brace himself, or mentally prepare. In fact, all day long, he looked forward to the evening, hoping that Taekwoon would be in the mood. Not ever did he feel like he  _ had  _ to sleep with Taekwoon, either; except from his own body demanding it, craving it, of course. 

He would miss this. He would miss looking forward to sleeping with the same person, would miss the way Taekwoon treated him when they were together - during the day, out and about, and in bed, ever the gallant and careful gentleman, attentive, caring, willing to do any and everything for Hakyeon. He would miss sleeping with only one person per day, and only once; he would miss  _ craving _ to sleep with someone more than once a day. He would even miss the ship with it’s lack of true privacy, the loud and rambunctious crew, the sea, the wind. The long hours of doing nothing, relaxing, getting to read and sleep and eat whenever he wanted.

More than anything - and more than he ever wanted to admit, to himself or anyone else - he would miss Taekwoon himself, though. Everything about him. And it hurt, how much he already missed him, even though they still had a whole day and night together before they would reach his home port again. It felt like a physical ache, the prospect of Taekwoon’s absence, and if Hakyeon found a relatively quiet and private place to cry it out near the bowsprit of the ship, behind some rolls of rope and a crate, no one but him had to know about it.

Evening rolled around, and with it the now traditional farewell feast for yet another group of students on board. 

Neither Taekwoon nor Hakyeon felt like celebrating, however, and they were on the same page about leaving the party as soon as it was acceptable for the captain to do so.

As soon as the time came, they didn’t even need words to communicate and take their leave at the exact same time. 

The door to Taekwoon’s quarters fell shut behind them, and in no time Hakyeon was in Taekwoon’s arms, their lips locked together. 

Their kiss was deep, passionate, full of longing that both believed to be mostly their own. That was, until Taekwoon eventually broke the kiss and pulled Hakyeon into a simple yet tight hug, nearly crushing him against his chest.

“I’m going to miss you.” He whispered against Hakyeon’s hair. “I’m really… going to miss you.”

Hakyeon felt his stomach cramp with a foreign pain, a foreign longing, yet he also tried to guard himself and his emotions carefully. He’d been told he would be missed too many times, and he knew exactly what it was that people missed about him; he had been told that many times, too. He was, after all, very good at what he did.

“I’ll miss being with you, too, Taekwoon.” He still admitted.

Taekwoon closed his eyes, swallowing thickly. He shouldn’t read into this, at all. At the end of the day, he was just- He was just Hakyeon’s client. And as soon as Hakyeon left, he would take on another. And that was ok, since it was Hakyeon’s job, and he had no right to interfere or expect anything else. All he had was one more night, and… And he would take what he could get. And finally, he would also…

“Hakyeon? Can I ask something of you?” He tried, tentatively, eventually.

Had the question come from anyone else, Hakyeon was sure he would have tensed, expecting… well, anything. With Taekwoon, he stayed naturally relaxed, though, just expectant, but not of anything unpleasant. 

“Of course.”

Taekwoon took a deep breath, and Hakyeon recognized the nervous tremble in his hands where he was holding him.

“I just… I wanted to ask you… Tonight. Can we- Can I- you- Uh…” He stuttered, his nervousness mounting.

Hakyeon stepped back eventually, unwinding his arms from around Taekwoon to cup his face, caressing the apples of his cheeks softly as he gazed up warmly.

“It’s ok, Taek. Take your time. And know that I won’t judge you for anything it is you want to ask of me, as I never have before.”

Taekwoon nodded slowly, reassured, and still, he closed his eyes again when the words finally fell past his lips.

“Can I be the one bottoming tonight? Could you… Top me?”

Hakyeon’s eyes lit up at the request, joyful anticipation surging in him, alongside another deeper feeling of absolute endearment and need to take care of this gorgeous human in front of him that he wouldn’t allow himself to explore much deeper.

“I would love to.” He agreed to Taekwoon’s request, though. “I was hoping you would ask that eventually.” He reached up to kiss Taekwoon again. “Thank you for trusting me enough to do so, now. Thank you for asking me today.”

Taekwoon visibly and tangibly relaxed in Hakyeon’s arms, letting out a long, relieved breath as he did. Of course, Hakyeon would be nothing but accommodating and understanding.

“I really… Really want you right now.” He admitted, and Hakyeon chuckled quietly.

“Good. Because I want you, too.”

Taekwoon trusted Hakyeon, he was right. And he felt nothing but trust as Hakyeon guided him backwards to the bed and as they toppled into the sheets. He was a bit nervous, yes, but nothing that managed to even come to the forefront of his mind while Hakyeon kissed him and they slowly undressed each other, as they had done a lot of times in the past weeks. He wasn’t nervous when Hakyeon eventually helped him out of his underwear and cupped him in his hand, playing with his already hard cock; in fact, that pretty much eradicated any and all thoughts from his mind altogether. 

He felt like he was going to cum any moment now, just from Hakyeon’s hand on his dick and his mouth on his own, but he knew better by now. Hakyeon wouldn’t let him, not so soon. Hakyeon knew his body better than he did at this point, and he knew how to play him for hours, never letting the pleasure die, but also never making him cum before he decided he wanted Taekwoon to. 

And so, Taekwoon fully trusted Hakyeon with his body, with his pleasure, letting him do as he pleased while not even trying to hang on to some sanity or coherency. 

That changed abruptly when he suddenly felt Hakyeon’s fingers wander further down, to his entrance, gently pressing against the rim. Not that he’d never done that before, or that Taekwoon disliked it, no. But today, it was different, since he knew more than what he was used to was to follow.

Feeling Taekwoon tense, Hakyeon stopped moving.

“Woon? Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah.” Taekwoon breathed, choppy. 

“Do you want me to stop? You know there’s no pressure, right. You can call it off at any time, it’s ok.”

“No!” Taekwoon almost yelled. “N-no. Don’t stop. I want this, I want you. It’s just…”

“You’re nervous.” Hakyeon concluded. 

“Yeah…” Taekwoon admitted, so quiet Hakyeon almost didn’t hear it.

“I’ll go slow.”

Taekwoon’s heart fluttered at Hakyeon’s soft promise and his free hand finding Taekwoon’s in the sheets, holding it securely. 

“I promise. I’ll make you feel so good you’ll never want anything else in your life.”

Taekwoon already didn’t want anything else in his life but Hakyeon. At least in this moment. And, well, in his bed, he supposed. And in that one special corner of his heart. But… He couldn’t think about that now!

Literally, since Hakyeon started moving his fingers again, not attempting to breach him, just massaging, and it was already sending spikes of pleasure through him that were so potent they absolutely obliterated any thought before it could fully form in his mind.

The somewhat cold feeling of lube coating his entrance eventually penetrated the pleasured haze of his mind, and his grip on Hakyeon’s hand, still in his, tightened. And yet, his body stayed pliant. 

Hakyeon shuffled further down on the bed, and in the exact same moment he pushed enough to slip his forefinger past Taekwoon’s tight rim, he swallowed his cock down in one go.

Taekwoon screamed, not in pain, but in wonderous surprise and electrifying pleasure. 

Hakyeon’s mouth was something else, he had come to learn that already, but Hakyeon’s mouth on him paired with the foreign yet not unpleasant sensation of something  _ inside _ him, that was a kind of exquisite he was not prepared for. 

Involuntarily, he bucked up, into Hakyeon’s mouth, well aware of the lack of gag reflex of the siren, and down on his finger as him swallowing around him, moaning at the same time, sent sensations through him that defied logic and comprehension. 

Hakyeon’s finger slid in further, and brushed against something that had Taekwoon freeze. It was almost painful in how intense it was, and yet, as soon as the shock ebbed down, Taekwoon craved more of it. And so, he bucked down again, chasing Hakyeon’s finger.

In response, Hakyeon pulled off his dick, shaking his head with a sly grin.

“Nuh-uh.” He tugged on his hand, placing their joined hands on Taekwoon’s hip to hold him down. “Sorry, boo. You have to wait. We’re not rushing this.”

Taekwoon whined, throaty and desperate, yet he didn’t attempt to move again, as much as he wanted to. If Hakyeon said not to, he would not. Hakyeon knew best, after all. Hakyeon knew  _ him _ best, his body and all its needs. And… maybe not just his body, by now. He knew  _ him,  _ what he liked, what he wanted. He knew how to make him feel special, and not just in bed. Granted, especially in bed, he was truly something else there. Not that Taekwoon had anything, or anyone, to compare him to, but he didn’t need to, to know nothing could come close to Hakyeon. Not for him. 

As if to prove it, or make sure Taekwoon never forgot, even just for a moment, Hakyeon started moving his finger inside of Taekwoon, pushing against his walls, loosening him up. And Taekwoon caught on oh so quickly, his body so pliant under Hakyeon he could have molded him into whatever he pleased.

But Hakyeon only worked him open, adding another finger, then another, and kept Taekwoon on the edge of ecstasy the whole time and just barely this side of sane with gentle, loving caresses to his hand and stomach.

“Yeon, please!” Taekwoon sobbed eventually, desperation finally taking over. “Please! I- I need-”

“Shh…” Hakyeon shushed him gently, tightening his hold on his hand and finally withdrawing his fingers from inside Taekwoon. “I know, dear. I was just done, anyway. I got you.”

Reassured, Taekwoon relaxed again, even if with a hiccupped sob. 

Hakyeon leaned up again, kissing him gently, clean hand letting go of his to stroke soothing patterns over Taekwoon’s heated body. 

Taekwoon’s eyes fell shut again, kissing Hakyeon back with lingering despair while his body melted under his hands. He would miss this, would miss this so much… Another sob wrung itself past his throat when Hakyeon’s hands left him, his barely functioning brain anticipating the time when he wouldn’t be able to feel him anymore-

“Shh, I’m right here.” Hakyeon reassured him, and Taekwoon could hear the crinkling and tearing of foil. “Right here, not going anywhere. On the contrary…”

And finally, he was ready, leaning over Taekwoon again. Gentle but determined, he slotted one knee between Taekwoon’s, nudging them apart enough for the other, and then further to accommodate his body. 

“Lift your legs for me, Woon, love. Like this.”

Taekwoon followed Hakyeon’s instruction’s blindly, though hung up on his endearments. Would he ever find someone who would call him endearments like this so readily, so abundantly, not shy at all about showing their affection, again?

“So pretty, my Woonie…” Hakyeon sighed, leaning forward as he hoisted Taekwoon’s legs further up, his dick finally falling between Taekwoon’s cheeks. And yet, it wasn’t the feeling of Hakyeon’s dick finally so close to where he craved it that made Taekwoon’s breath catch and his heart squeeze painfully. It was being called  _ his, Hakyeon’s  _ that did him in. 

“Yeon…!” He sobbed, reaching up to desperately tug him closer. “Yeonie…!”

Hakyeon hummed, kissing Taekwoon again. “Ready?”

Taekwoon nodded his head hastily. “Yes!” He breathed, and Hakyeon lined himself up. He moved slowly, pushing in at a glacial pace, nearly driving Taekwoon mad with it. And yet, Taekwoon was also glad, since he really did need the time to adjust, Hakyeon’s dick feeling nothing like his fingers inside him. 

His fingers had left him craving for more, his dick made him want to scream “Too much!”. But he didn’t. He wanted this, he wanted Hakyeon, wanted all of him, and if it tore him apart. 

Surprisingly, it didn’t. 

Hakyeon bottomed out eventually, filling Taekwoon so completely he felt as if he was touching every last corner of his existence, inside and out, and yet… It didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable; it just felt  _ right _ . Like he belonged there, inside him.

“Want to let me know when I can move?”

Taekwoon blinked up sluggishly at Hakyeon, as if wanting to say “Do I look like I know anything right now?”. Hakyeon chuckled softly, managing to bend down to kiss Taekwoon again without moving a single millimeter inside him.

“Ok. Then tell me if I move too soon, ok?”

Taekwoon would try, he decided, but not guarantee anything. It was enough for Hakyeon, though, and while distracting Taekwoon with kisses along his neck, his throat, his chest, hands roaming and finding every one of Taekwoon’s most sensitive spots without fail, he started shifting inside him. Incredibly slow at first, so slow Taekwoon almost didn’t feel it at first.

Eventually, he did, though, when Hakyeon’s thrusts became more sizeable, and finally brushed against that wondrous spot his finger had found earlier. 

Taekwoon’s whole body seized up, but before Hakyeon could wonder, Taekwoon screamed.

“Yes! Yes, again!” 

A pleased smile turned the corners of Hakyeon’s lips up. “Found it.” And once he had, he didn’t let go of it, never fully. Taekwoon didn’t know how he did it, just with his dick, but he was sure magic was involved in the way Hakyeon managed to tease him, stroke him, brush just barely over that spot then fully push into it on the next stroke - and still, he never quite let him reach that high he longed for, not yet.

And if Taekwoon was being honest, despite craving it, despite wanting to reach that peak so bad, he never wanted this to end. He never wanted to cum, never wanted Hakyeon to finish, too, Hakyeon to pull out to leave him-... 

With a desperate sob, he clung to Hakyeon, pulling him close into his arms, so tight the other couldn’t even move anymore.

“Woon- Taekwoonie? Are you ok?” He asked, surprised.

“Don’t leave.” He whispered, all of his despair leaking into his words.

Hakyeon’s heart clenched painfully, savouring the words for just a second and pretending-

But no, he couldn't give in to those kinds of illusions, he knew better than to do that. He would only end up hurt and disappointed. And so, he did his best to lock his heart up and play it safe.

"I'm not planning to. I'm not going anywhere."

Taekwoon didn't believe him, since he could hear it in Hakyeon's words, what he meant and didn't say: for now. For tonight. For this moment only, Hakyeon was staying.

But not forever. Not a day longer than tomorrow.

And Taekwoon let go, his heart breaking along with his hold on Hakyeon, letting him move again.

"Please, go harder. I- I need you-"

He needed Hakyeon to fuck his brains out so he couldn't continue thinking, and would forget his aching heart at least for the time being, drowing out the pain with pleasure.

Hakyeon didn't contest Taekwoon's plea, all too happy with throwing his whole being into his thrusts and focussing on nothing else but the pleasure he could give and receive, too. That was what he was good at, anyway, what he was here for. What he was paid for. And no matter what, he would deliver. His heart had no say in the matter, even if in this case, what he was doing was far from his usual job; didn't feel like a job at all.

Before long, Taekwoon was teetering on the edge, writhing under Hakyeon, and with a few masterful thrusts and a moan of Taekwoon's name, Hakyeon sent him over it.

He followed shortly after, collapsing in Taekwoon's waiting arms as he pulled out of him with the last bit of strength left in him before he gave in to the bliss of the post-orgasm haze, and the warmth of Taekwoon’s verging on desperate embrace.

Together, they laid in silence, each wishing… Wishing oh so deeply that this wasn’t their last night together. But tomorrow, they would reach Hakyeon’s home port, where Hakyeon had a place and a life to return to. And Taekwoon and his fixed crew, they would sail on after restocking on provisions, on to the next port where a group of eager sailing students would be waiting for them, ready to be pirates for a few weeks.

And both of them kept their woes a secret, unknown by the other.

To Hakyeon, Taekwoon was just another client, after all.

And to Taekwoon, Hakyeon was just someone his friends had hired to finally introduce him to the world of sex...

***

There was no time for awkward goodbyes.

They would arrive in port mid-morning, and there were lots of preparations to make. Taekwoon was up early to coordinate them, coordinate and commandeer the current crew for the last time. 

Once docked and with everyone ready to leave, there was the farewell ceremony in which each member of the temporary crew got their very own certificate with the rank and honours they had achieved in the time on board, accompanied by a short speech, and then they were sent off. 

Hakyeon, too, got an honorary certificate, put together by Hongbin and Jaehwan, and he ended up leaving at the same time as the rest of the crew. 

Suddenly, it was quiet aboard the SSS Navy Gold. And Taekwoon, who usually enjoyed this time of rest between changing crews, couldn’t stand it. He thought about finding one of his friends, but he was not in the mood to be asked questions about his unusual behaviour, about his melancholic expression, his longing, faraway gazes… About Hakyeon. He was sure all those would come soon enough, he didn’t need them already, so shortly after he had left… And so, he locked himself in his quarters, by himself, hoping to evade the questions for at least today, the judging gazes, the teasing and jabs. If there had to be silence and eery quietness, at least let it be a peaceful one.

What he found in his cabin instead was a different kind of silence and quietness, though. It was far from peaceful, too.

In just a few weeks, Taekwoon had gotten so used to Hakyeon’s things being strewn about his quarters, his presence unmistakable in the room, that seeing the space without any trace of Hakyeon now was more than a little unsettling. It felt like… Like the last straw, the final confirmation that Hakyeon was gone, and it absolutely shattered Taekwoon.

His eyes welled up with tears and he stumbled back against the closed door, tears overflowing, and slid down to the ground against it, quiet sobs falling past his lips. 

The walls on the ship were far from soundproof, as was widely known, and so Taekwoon did his best to keep his sobs as quiet as possible as he gave in to the hurt, letting it all out.

It took him a while, and an even longer while to calm down again and get himself presentable once more, to where it wasn’t all too obvious that he had just sobbed his heart out before joining his friends again as they returned from the errants they’d been running around the city. Despite everything, he still had a ship to steer and a crew to lead, and his leadership was all the more necessary now that it was just the five of them, tasked with sailing the three-master on to the next port to pick up a new crew of eager students. There was just no time for him to mourn and heal, not right now.

If the remaining four noticed their captain’s somber mood and still somewhat tear-swollen face, they didn’t say anything; at least not for now, or the rest of the day. Or even the next. Or the next week… Weeks.

Taekwoon did his best to hide how much he missed Hakyeon and how much his sudden absence hurt, trying hard to appear like everything was fine, as if there wasn’t anything wrong with him, with anything, participating and leading their activities as usual, and yet, he couldn’t pretend he didn’t notice the worried glances that were thrown his way whenever his friends thought he wasn’t paying attention, and how they seemed to walk on eggshells around him.

Eventually, it was Hongbin who cornered him, alone, when they were studying maps to figure out their next course, and forced it out of him.

“Taekwoon… Are you ok?” He simply asked, and Taekwoon shrugged.

“Yeah, sure…”

“Really?” Hongbin gave him a speculative look. “Because you don’t look like it. You don’t act like it.”

Taekwoon looked up from the map in front of him, giving Hongbin a sharp look telling him to drop it. “What are you talking about, I’m acting like I’ve always been acting.” 

Hongbin sighed, shaking his head.

“Yeah. And, you see, that’s the problem.”

Taekwoon frowned.

“What? Why? You never had a problem with that before.”

Hongbin huffed, shaking his head again.

“No, I didn’t. None of us did. But that was before… Before you started  _ acting _ like you used to act before. You’re pretending to be like you used to be. But you’re not. It’s not genuine. It’s not you anymore. It’s not Jung Taekwoon anymore.”

Taekwoon gave Hongbin a look that told him he thought he was full of shit.

“That’s stupid, what the hell…” He grumbled, turning back to the map.

“Yeah, it is.” Hongbin agreed, leaning over the map and into Taekwoon’s personal space, splayed hands covering the parts of the map that were relevant to their course. “Because you shouldn’t pretend to be something you are not. It’s one thing to act like you’re a seventeenth century pirate, for fun, and a completely different one to act like you are a person you used to be before because you can’t accept the one you’ve become in the meantime!”

Taekwoon reared back, indecipherable emotions swirling in his gut and mirroring in his eyes.

“You’ve changed a lot, Taekwoon. You’ve become such a… a  _ happy  _ person. Outgoing. Fun. Open. Genuine and openly warm. Playful. I hate to say this, but cute, even. And now, all of a sudden, you’re back to- Well, not  _ back,  _ since you never were like this, not with us. So extremely reserved, closed off, bitter, and sad. You used to be quiet, yeah, but this… This is different.”

Internally, Taekwoon panicked. How had Hongbin figured him out so well? 

An unexplainable fear gripped Taekwoon’s heart, and guided by it, he lashed out. 

“Well, ever thought about how I could have been acting when I showed you that supposed other persona? The happy one? What if that was the act, and this is just how I really am? If this is actually how I really feel? If you can’t handle that, then maybe go find yourself someone else, someone who is all that, and not- not  _ this _ . Not me!” He turned his back to Hongbin, hiding the tears springing to his eyes. He expected Hongbin’s backlash any moment now, but it took a long time before Hongbin actually spoke up.

“Wow… He really… He really changed you…”

The words felt like a searing hot branding iron pressing straight into Taekwoon’s heart and he turned to glare at Hongbin.

“Don’t you  _ dare _ blame this on him!” He hissed. “It’s not his fault- Not his fault I’m an idiot who-... who fell-... The idiot who fell in love with a hooker!”

Taekwoon’s barbed words, cutting like shards of glass, should have hit Hongbin, but more than anything, they dug like sharp claws into his own heart, nearly tearing it out of his chest.

Hongbin, on the other hand, looked unaffected by them, taking them in stride. 

“Is that how you really think about him?” He asked once Taekwoon had swallowed the tears rising to his eyes again, calming his breathing down, too. “Is that what you’ve ever seen in him, at all?”

With just those few words, Hongbin undid Taekwoon’s composure again, and the captain had to find a seat into which he could sink, all strength leaving his body as he crumpled into it, face landing in his hands as he fully lost what semblance of composure he still had, and finally let go, shaking his head.

“No.” He managed to choke out. “Not ever. I know he’s- But I never saw that in him. I never felt that from him. I always- He’s always been so… Made me feel so special, so- And I totally fell for it. But it’s not his fault. He was just doing what he was hired for, and I- This is on me, and it just-... It hurts even more because of it. To think that, that it was all a lie, in the end, everything I learned to feel through him, everything- That it was all one-sided. That I was just another-” He broke off, unable to continue, and eventually felt arms wrap around him, pulling him into a chest as hands sort of awkwardly patted his back.

He let go regardless, crying it out, once again. Like he did at least once a day, ever since they had left Hakyeon behind. Hongbin didn’t say anything, just letting him cry, and eventually recompose himself. When he did, Hongbin stepped away, too, letting go.

“You do know there is only one of two things you can do about this, right?” He asked once it seemed like Taekwoon was ready to listen to anything again.

“One of two?” He asked, and Hongbin nodded.

“Either, you get over him, or, you go after the dude. There is no third option. This-” he gestured at Taekwoon’s still half curled up, crumpled, tear-soaked form, “-is not it.”

Taekwoon slumped further into himself. “Neither of those seem in the realm of things that are possible, though...”

Hongbin huffed. “And why is that?”

“Because, first… I love him too much.” Taekwoon ignored Hongbin’s valiant effort to not roll his eyes. “And second… He doesn’t feel the same. To him, I’m just another client.”

Hongbin huffed this time. “And you know that for sure? He told you that?”

Taekwoon shook his head, averting his gaze.

“If he didn’t specifically tell you that, you can’t know that for sure. And unless me and the others have gone completely blind and stupid…” This time it was Hongbin who ignored Taekwoon’s answering look. “Just, consider it. These are your options - your only options! - if you want to retain any form of sanity.”

***

Hongbin was right, but Taekwoon would admit that over his dead body. And so, of course, he did nothing. He tried to hide his moping even better, but his friends weren’t fools, so of course they noticed. But their headings stayed firmly away from Hakyeon’s port, for months and months, and Taekwoon stayed miserable; in secret. 

He would get over Hakyeon eventually, he told himself. That was the option he had chosen , anyway. He would not run after Hakyeon and try to insert himself into a life he had no place in, nor would he ask Hakyeon to give up his own life to be with him. 

Maybe it was a bit ridiculous, and not quite practicable, to avoid one of the most important ports in the seas in their area of the world just because of one man, though. He had to admit that eventually, and he gave in when his crew presented him with facts that proved it unavoidable to head for Hakyeon’s port. What were the chances he would find Hakyeon in the short time of their stay, anyway? Very, very slim, that’s what.

And yet, secretly, Taekwoon hoped he would find him. Even if he caught just a glimpse…

Yeah, getting over Hakyeon was going well!

Taekwoon was absolutely horrible at pretending. At least, as far as his feelings were concerned; he  _ did _ make a good 17th century pirate captain, but he was a very lovesick one. 

Unfortunately, he was very aware of that, too, and of the fact his crew knew for sure that he wasn’t over Hakyeon yet. And with every wave they cut closer to Hakyeon’s port, he expected his crew to call him out.

And yet, they didn’t; which, in a way, was even more worrying. 

Finally, they anchored in the port, and went on land. Taekwoon had his own few chores and places to go, as did the rest of the crew, but his weren’t too many. All too soon, he was done and back on board of the SSS Navy Gold, waiting for his crew to return so they could leave this port… And so he wouldn’t be tempted to go look for Hakyeon. 

He lost the battle eventually, and went on land again to go and-  _ not _ find Hakyeon, no, he would just go on a walk, and it would be pure coincidence if he ran into him. The port town wasn’t big, after all, even if it was an important one, and coincidences  _ happened. _

No matter how much he walked the streets and parks, the alleys and avenues, he didn’t find hide nor hair of Hakyeon, though, and eventually, as the sun started going down, hiding behind the peak behind the town, he felt incredibly stupid. What had he been thinking? All he’d managed to achieve was that his feet hurt and he’d gotten hungry, and his crew was probably already worrying where he had gone.

Resolutely, he went back down to the port, and sure enough, his friends had put Wonshik on the lookout for him. As soon as he came into view, he alerted the rest of the crew, and they were on deck when he climbed the gangway.

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you!” Jaehwan confronted him, but Taekwoon just shrugged.

“Walking.” He answered shortly.

“Walking? Walking where?” 

“Around.” And with that and a glare, the conversation was deemed over. 

Mechanically, they readied the ship to head out, again, turning it towards the open sea once more. Taekwoon had already wasted enough of their time, they couldn’t afford to lose any more if they wanted to be on time for their next heading. The wind wasn’t ideal, either, and so it was a bit of a struggle to make headway, not helping the sour mood that had befallen the crew since leaving that port. 

Dinner was a quick, quiet affair, and then they were back on their posts, preparing for a long night of sailing against the wind until it changed, so they could sleep.

And long it was, and cold, and the fog that came up eventually didn’t help their moods, either.

“Bin. Hyuk. Go rest.” Taekwoon eventually ordered, sending the youngest two under deck as soon as the conditions allowed. “Shik… Finish up and then rest, too. You have the command tomorrow morning. Jyani and I got this.”

Wonshik nodded, soon following the other two, and Taekwoon and Jaehwan were left alone.

“I hate foggy nights. Cold, and wet, and icky, and never enough wind. I’d rather the wind came from forward than this shit.”

Taekwoon hummed in agreement, pulling his coat tighter around himself; not his pirate coat, his good, warm mariners’ coat, modern and with the most recently developed weaving and padding technology to keep him warm on cold nights at sea. And yet, he opened it up for Jaehwan.

“Come here.” He pulled his quartermaster into the open coat. “You really need to get yourself a warmer coat. You’ll catch death out here like this.”

Jaehwan’s teeth chattered and he huddled gladly into Taekwoon’s coat.

“It was just as cold in the 17th century and they didn’t have coats like this back then, either, though.”

“Yeah, and people regularly died of the common cold and scratches on rusty nails in the 17th century.” Taekwoon grouched, holding Jaehwan tighter. “Next port we get to that sells mariners’ clothes, you’re getting yourself a proper coat. Captain’s orders.”

Jaehwan chuckled, leaning his head against Taekwoon’s shoulder. 

“What if this is all a ploy to get my captain’s cuddles, though? What if that is my true goal behind not having a proper coat yet?”

“I call bullshit. You spend too much time in someone else’s arms for this to be a ploy for this specifically.” Taekwoon called him out. “I would believe you if you told me it’s a ploy to get into a lot of other people’s pants, though.”

Jaehwan laughed.

“Caught me!”

Taekwoon smiled quietly into the darkness, shaking his head fondly. For the first time that day - or in many days - his heart felt a little warm again.

At least, he had this. He had his friends. His chaotic, perpetually horny, dumb in one way but smart in others, aggravating but loveable friends. And even if he couldn’t have Hakyeon, if he could at least have this, he would be ok. He had been fine before Hakyeon, he would be fine again. 

Maybe it had been a good thing to go back to that port and wander the town for hours. Maybe his unsuccessful hope for a coincidence and subsequent disappointment had been what he needed to finally accept he wouldn’t get Hakyeon back, on a level beyond the rational, conscious one. Maybe that was what he needed to take the first step towards healing from that heartbreak.

A shout from below deck startled them suddenly, and Taekwoon involuntarily tightened his hold on Jaehwan.

“What was that?” The quartermaster asked, fearful.

“Wonshik.” Taekwoon answered, listening closely for any follow up noises. “So it could have been anything, from a serial killer to a bug.”

“I’m not going down there to check. I’ve watched too many horror movies to know how that goes. The kids are on their own!”

Taekwoon snorted, though made no move to go below deck to check, either.

“They have Hyuk with them, they will be fine.” 

As if to follow up his words, cheering rang out from below deck right then.

“What do you think it is now? Did they just find out one of them won the lottery?” Jaehwan guessed. 

Taekwoon shrugged. “No idea. Do any of them even play?” 

Jaehwan shrugged, too. “Beats me. Maybe the serial killer killed the bug, and they are cheering because of that, not knowing they are next on the killer’s list? They are stupid enough to do that.”

Taekwoon laughed. “If you were down there with them and that were to happen, you would have cheered right along with them.”

“Yeah, I would have.” Jaehwan admitted without hesitation. “At least I would be reassured that no nasty bug would be crawling over my dead body.”

Taekwoon was about to remind him that nasty bugs would be  _ eating _ his dead body eventually, but before he could, Wonshik emerged from below deck, hitting the planks running up to them.

“Captain! There is a situation below deck that requires your immediate attention.”

Taekwoon raised a suspicious eyebrow at Wonshik, wondering what was up with his formal tone all of a sudden when they didn’t even have any students on board. 

“A situation? What situation?” Jaehwan asked, reluctant to let Taekwoon and his warmth go. 

“A situation requiring the Captain’s presence. Now!” Wonshik insisted, barely containing a grin, and Taekwoon sighed. Just what was it that these brats had cooked up for him now?

“Alright, lead the way.” He gave in, and Wonshik spun in a surprisingly graceful pirouette, striding ahead.

Taekwoon followed, wondering what the everloving hell his crew had cooked up now that was so important it required ‘Captain’s presence’, but considering Wonshik had time for pirouettes as well as his grin, he figured it couldn’t be too bad.

The first time Taekwoon suspected something was truly off was when they stepped below deck and he heard a voice that was decidedly not Hongbin’s nor Hyuk’s. 

“Kim Wonshik.” His voice cooled as he stopped in the middle of the hallway, nearly causing Jaehwan to run into him. “What the hell is going on?”

“Hm?” Wonshik turned around with an innocent look. “Oh, you’ll see in a second. Come, this way!”

Taekwoon started to call for him again, but before he could, Hyuk appeared in the door to his cabin.

“Oh, you’re here!” He straightened up then, putting on a serious expression. “My captain. We have a bit of a situation here.”

“So I hear.” Taekwoon grumbled, put off by the behaviour of his friends. “Could someone please finally tell me what kind of situation it is?” His patience was reaching its limits.

“A stowaway situation, Sir!” Hyuk’s serious expression faltered as he stepped aside, freeing the way to his room for Hongbin to step out with someone else in tow. 

Taekwoon felt the air being punched out of his lungs and staggered back, and he might have fallen if Jaehwan hadn’t caught him. His jaw dropped, and gasping for breath, he couldn’t produce a sound.

Meanwhile, the ‘stowaway’ just stood there, between Hongbin and Hyuk with their matching shit-eating grins, wearing a decidedly sheepish expression. 

“Hey, Taekwoon.” He greeted, almost bashfully, and that finally unfroze Taekwoon. Not soon enough, though.

“So… Should we make him walk the plank or are you taking care of him, Captain?” Hongbin drawled, leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe with his arms and ankles crossed.

Taekwoon glared at him. “Fuck off!”

He couldn’t be bothered by Hongbin’s answering chuckle and flying kiss sent his way, and turned his attention back to Hakyeon. As soon as he did, his coherency took a leave again.

“Hakyeon, I-... What are you doing here? I thought-” He broke off again, shaking his head. “We should- Talk. In private.”

Hakyeon nodded in agreement with a weak smile, and Taekwoon stood up straight and fully on his own two feet again, indicating the way to his cabin before leading the way.

Hakyeon followed him, throwing the rest of the crew nervous glances, but he got nothing but reassuring and encouraging looks and gestures back. 

This reassured, he hurried after Taekwoon, and once they reached Taekwoon’s cabin, Taekwoon stepped aside to let Hakyeon into the room first. As soon as he slipped through, Taekwoon turned back to his crew, who immediately reverted back to their teasing selves.

“If I catch any of you eavesdropping,  _ you _ will be the ones walking the plank!” Taekwoon threatened, but his ever-loving crew just rolled their eyes.

“Pah-lease. As if we’d want to voluntarily give ourselves brain damage.” Hyuk rolled his eyes.

“Not to mention the emotional scarring.” Hongbin agreed, and Taekwoon had to refrain from snapping at them… too badly.

“Show some fucking respect and common decency for once, please!” He hissed instead, and then slammed the door in the faces of his mock-saluting friends.

And then, it was just him and Hakyeon, facing each other in the dimly lit room, just steps apart. A million emotions chased each other across their faces.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” Taekwoon eventually admitted, breaking the silence, and Hakyeon swallowed thickly.

“I thought you’d never want to see me again.” 

Taekwoon slowly shook his head. “I thought the same from you. Since I was just- Am just… Just another… c-client.”

Hakyeon shook his head, the gesture small but firm.

“You were never just another client, Taekwoon.” He whispered. “Clients are not like you. Clients don’t treat me like you do… They don’t  _ love _ me like you do.” 

Taekwoon felt himself shrinking under Hakyeon’s intense gaze as he exposed his feelings, just like that, so easily.

“And I don’t love my clients like I do you, either.” Hakyeon added then, barely a whisper, but Taekwoon still caught it. His head snapped up, eyes meeting Hakyeon’s with an intense gaze.

“What?” He asked, breathless, not believing what he thought his ears had caught.

Hakyeon smiled with something like sadness in his gaze.

“I had a feeling… That maybe, you might have been feeling the same way I do. But, you never brought it up. And after I left, I knew you never would.” He started. “I doubted what I had thought I’d felt, but then you’ve been avoiding my town. I figured you wouldn’t be doing that for no reason. And then, when I heard you were finally coming to port… I couldn’t pass up the chance to talk to you. So… I snuck on board, hoping to get that chance when you couldn’t run away anymore.”

“I wasn’t running-” Taekwoon cut himself off, realizing in that moment that he had, in fact, been running; from his own feelings, mostly. “Not from you, at least.” He amended what he had originally been going to say. 

Hakyeon took a step closer, but stopped, too. “Is this ok?” He asked, but Taekwoon didn't understand what he meant. His confusion was obvious in his expression, too, and Hakyeon was nothing but not good at reading him.

“This… Me coming to see you. Me being here. Me talking to you, coming closer. Everything.” He elaborated. “I do realize it’s a bit late to ask that… It only occurred to me that my brilliant plan really wasn’t so brilliant after all when it was too late, already.”

Taekwoon chuckled quietly, amused by Hakyeon’s confession. 

“In that regard, you fit in perfectly with this crew. It’s a good thing we’re not real pirates, or we would have been sent to Davy Jones’ locker ages ago.”

Hakyeon smiled sheepishly.

“Actually, my ideas are usually much better. It’s just… When feelings are involved, that I- I become sort of stupid.”

Taekwoon couldn’t help a small wistful smile. “That makes two of us…”

Their gazes met briefly, both full of longing, yet at the same time shy. Eventually, Hakyeon took a deep breath and gathered his courage, though.

“Taekwoon, why I’m here… I came to tell you that I have fallen in love with you. And to know for sure, once and for all, if you feel the same, or in any way similar, at least.”

Taekwoon had figured that out in the meantime, but hearing Hakyeon say it, without room for interpretation, straightforward… It hit different. 

“I do.” He answered quickly. He didn’t want to leave Hakyeon waiting, agonizing any longer. “I do, Hakyeon. I’ve fallen for you deep and hard, and I’ve been able to think about nothing else these past months. It’s gotten to a worrying point, even…” He trailed off eventually, and Hakyeon nodded.

“I know. Hongbin told me.”

Taekwoon’s eyes widened in surprise and incredulity. “He  _ what?” _

A small smile played on Hakyeon’s lips. “How do you think I knew you were coming to port?” He asked, smile turning a little mischievous. “Hongbin sent me a text. Said you were coming, and that I might want to talk to you and screw your head back on right, since apparently, it was my fault that it got screwed on wrong, or something like that. He didn’t tell me much else, and it left me full of curiosity… and hope. And here I am.”

Taekwoon needed a moment to process that; Hongbin, that little shit…! But also…

“And here you are…” He mumbled, and finally locked gazes with Hakyeon. Not for long, though, before his gaze trailed down to Hakyeon’s lips, just to snap back up.

“Can I-...” Hakyeon started to ask, but Taekwoon anticipated it by taking a step closer. He hesitated, then, and Hakyeon took it upon himself to close the distance between them and reach out for Taekwoon. Taekwoon allowed it, and finally pulled Hakyeon in closer, too, until they could wrap their arms around each other in an embrace so full of longing, of missing, of need, hands bunched in the fabric of each other’s clothes, faces buried into the crook between neck and shoulder, it told each other more about how they’d spent the last months apart than a thousand words could.

“Is it ok if I never let go and we just stay like this forever?” Taekwoon eventually asked, so quiet Hakyeon could only pick it up because the word fell right next to his ear. He chuckled lightly, holding on tighter himself.

“No.” He answered, though. Before Taekwoon even had time to get surprised by his answer, he elaborated. “I want you to let go at least enough for me to kiss you. I have been  _ dying  _ to kiss you!” 

That was one alternative Taekwoon could live with, and he proceeded to let go enough of Hakyeon to allow him to do exactly that. And Hakyeon did, tilting his back ever so slightly to reach up to where Taekwoon met him half-way in a kiss that felt as new and exciting as their first, yet well-practiced and familiar, warm, like coming home.

And so were their bodies, pressed against each other, and their increasing awareness of them and how close they were as the kiss became more intense.

“I’ve missed you so much… Everything about you.” Hakyeon eventually murmured into the kiss, and his hold on Taekwoon changed.

Taekwoon halted, pulling just slightly out of the kiss to give Hakyeon a questioning look.

“I want you, Taekwoon.” Hakyeon confirmed Taekwoon’s suspicions.

The words traveled through Taekwoon’s body like electricity, setting every last nerve end on edge.

“I want you, too, Yeonie…” He sighed, needy, and yet there was an unspoken ‘but’ in his words. Hakyeon heard it, too.

“But…?” He prompted.

“But… I don’t want you to think that is all I want from you. Because there is so much more.”

Hakyeon’s heart fluttered so hard it was almost painful, and the only way to soothe it was by pulling Taekwoon tightly into his arms again.

“I know, Woon. If there was ever a person I didn’t doubt that with for even just a second, it’s you.”

Taekwoon shivered in Hakyeon’s hold, half aroused, half emotional.

“I do want you, too, though. So, so bad…”

And that, in turn, did everything for Hakyeon.

“And there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary!” He murmured near Taekwoon’s ear, before nipping at the lobe and causing Taekwoon’s knees to buckle. He didn’t want Taekwoon standing, though, nor on the floor. He wanted him in bed, and preferably all night long.

And so, he finally let go of him to take his hand instead, pulling him further into the cabin and to where he knew the bed to be.

Taekwoon went willingly, full of anticipation, and let Hakyeon manhandle him until he landed backwards on the bed, with Hakyeon on top of him in a matter of seconds.

“C-clothes.” He stammered, annoyed, though, when he realized he was still in his thick coat and warm outerwear, which were putting way more distance between them than necessary and than what Taekwoon craved right now.

Hakyeon groaned, letting his head drop against Taekwoon’s shoulder.

“You’re right. Damn them! Truly one of humanity’s most overrated inventions…”

Taekwoon laughed quietly, sitting up with Hakyeon in his lap.

“They’re not so bad…” He mumbled, shrugging his jacket off and then turning to Hakyeon’s clothes, slipping his hands under his jumper and shirt, fingertips dancing over the warm honey skin of Hakyeon’s stomach and pushing the layers of fabric up and out of the way as he went. “They make every time I’m with you feel like I’m unwrapping a gift.”

Hakyeon let out a pleased hum when Taekwoon’s hand reached his chest, toying with one of his nipples; but more than the physical pleasure, he revelled in Taekwoon’s sweet words.

“This is another thing that I missed… So, so bad…” He sighed. “How you manage to take even the most mundane or even annoying thing, and manage to turn it into something romantic…”

Taekwoon chuckled, bending forth to nibble at the skin of Hakyeon’s beautifully arched neck.

“That has to be a first, that someone calls anything I do romantic. Cheesy, yes, I’ve heard that before, but romantic…”

“You seem to spend a lot of your time with extremely unromantic assholes, in that case.” Hakyeon hummed, and Taekwoon chuckled.

“You’ve met my crew, I’m sure…?”

Hakyeon laughed, though gasped in between when Taekwoon didn’t let up toying with his nipples.

“Oh, yes. Very romantic, the lot of them.”

Taekwoon laughed again, but interrupted himself to latch his mouth onto that one sensitive spot on Hakyeon’s neck, right under his ear, to tease it sweetly. 

Hakyeon let his head roll back, giving Taekwoon more access, and a throaty keening sound fled his throat.

“You have to be the fastest learner ever, Woon...!” He sighed eventually. “And to think you were a virgin when we first slept together…”

Taekwoon paused in his ministrations to pout at Hakyeon. Thoroughly endeared, Hakyeon cupped his face in his hands and kissed him softly.

“That’s not a bad thing, nothing wrong with it. I’m just impressed with how far you’ve come since then.,.”

“I had the best teacher…” Taekwoon eventually answered, taking Hakyeon’s hand in his to kiss the palm. “And I want to make him feel as good as he’s always made me feel.”

Hakyeon shivered, not from the cold, and his free hand balled in the front of Taekwoon’s hoodie.

“You know, when I get gifts, I’m always so eager to know what’s inside that I really can’t take my time with the wrapping and just tear through it…” His voice sounded almost like a growl, and his impatience got to Taekwoon, who let out an appreciative hum.

“What’s stopping you?” He prompted, and after one short exchange of looks, in a mess of entangled limbs, catching buttons and zippers, their clothes came off at once. 

It was pretty cold in the cabin, and Taekwoon pulled his blanket over both of them. Hakyeon giggled, now lying under Taekwoon. 

“What?” Taekwoon prompted, intrigued by Hakyeon’s giggle though unafraid of judgement.

“I feel like a teenager once again.” Hakyeon admitted. “Like this is my first time. As if I’m doing something new, until then forbidden… Exciting.”

Taekwoon smiled down at him. “Is that a good thing?”

“The very best thing.” Hakyeon confirmed, wrapping his arms around Taekwoon’s neck and pulling him down into a kiss. “How do you want to do this tonight?” He asked once they parted again, and Taekwoon once again took one of Hakyeon’s hands in his own. 

“I want to be the one spoiling you tonight. Let me…?”

“I’m all yours.” Hakyeon sighed contentedly, squeezing Taekwoon’s hand in reassurance.

Taekwoon closed his eyes, savouring those words. For the first time, he had a feeling that Hakyeon didn’t just mean tonight. They might have to talk it out still, see where they were standing and where they were going from here, but it wasn’t just that chances were good, but more so that everything was pointing towards the possibility that they might have a future together. And that meant the world to Taekwoon, nearly overwhelming him with emotion.

Before it could, though, he poured it all into giving Hakyeon back for the joy he was feeling in that moment, into the kisses he trailed down his neck and over his chest, the soft caresses to his stomach and down his thighs, the gentle nips and licks further and further down until he reached the center of Hakyeon’s body. He poured it into the tenderness with which he cupped Hakyeon’s balls, playing with them, and into the fluttering kiss to his tip before he licked firmly from base to tip of his cock and took him into his mouth. He showed it in how selflessly he swallowed all of it, putting Hakyeon’s pleasure before his own comfort as he took him down his throat, swallowing around him and making Hakyeon keen and scream in pleasure.

There was nothing of the acting Taekwoon sometimes suspected Hakyeon to put into his reactions when they had first started sleeping together anymore, Hakyeon’s sounds and the twitches and writhing of his body visceral and honest, torn from his very core, the essence of his being. 

Hakyeon positively lost himself if Taekwoon that night, lost himself in the touch of his hands, the feeling of his mouth on him; in the feeling of Taekwoon’s long, slender fingers breaching him and toying with him as he opened him up. He gave himself willingly to the feeling of every single one of Taekwoon’s knuckles pressing past his rim and deep inside, to the feeling of the stretch and the fullness, and yet he knew there was more to come and was eagerly anticipating.

He hadn’t faked anything he felt when he was with Taekwoon since pretty much the beginning, since even though Taekwoon had been clumsy then, he had never been anything but honest; and Hakyeon wanted to honour that by giving him nothing but the same back. Very quickly, he had found he didn’t even need to fake anything, his reactions coming naturally and sincere as, despite his clumsiness,Taekwoon managed to make him feel in ways he had rarely, or even never, experienced with anyone before him. 

And now, Taekwoon - though still not as secure as someone with years of being sexually active under their belt - was quite dexterous in his actions and fully capable of playing Hakyeon’s body like a well-loved instrument. He knew where to press, where to stroke and where to lick, how to hold him, to bend him, to push him, for him to fall apart under him.

“Taekwoon!” Hakyeon eventually yelled through his moans and pants, hands flying down to Taekwoon’s head and burying in the silken strands to pull him up, off his cock.

“Woon, please!” He panted. “Don’t make me cum like this. I want you-”

Taekwoon interrupted him with a kiss, and while Hakyeon had never cared for those kinds of kisses, where he could taste himself on his partner’s tongue, he didn’t mind at all with Taekwoon; on the contrary. The mix was heady and enticing, and he stroked down Taekwoon’s body almost possessively, grabbing his ass and pulling him down on his crotch, craving the feeling of his dick at least anywhere near him. 

Taekwoon blocked him, though, not giving in. “You said I could spoil you tonight.” He reminded Hakyeon. “Let me spoil you, at my pace.”

A shiver ran through Hakyeon’s entire body, and he was sure he wouldn’t survive this. To his surprise - and relief - Taekwoon didn’t stall for long, and soon he was pressing against his rim, sliding in easily after the extensive prep he had subjected Hakyeon to. 

Hakyeon whimpered in pleasure, relishing in the smooth glide that further served as proof to himself of how  _ right _ this was, how  _ right _ Taekwoon was for him, for his body, for his heart and life. There was no hesitation in his body to accept Taekwoon’s intrusion, everything in him craving it and eagerly taking what Taekwoon was giving.

And Taekwoon was giving in the most wonderful way possible, slow yet sure strokes, rhythmic, yet not two of them were the same as he rolled his hips into Hakyeon and caressed him from the inside out with torturously delicious friction in all the right places, never too much and never too little - until Hakyeon couldn’t bear it anymore, that slow climb to the peak.

“Please, Woon…” He panted. “Please, go faster.” 

Taekwoon didn’t seem to have heard him, sticking to his pace undeterred, his strokes not faltering even once. 

“Please…! Please, Taekwoonie… Faster-... Or harder! Please!” Hakyeon was not above begging at this point, but all that earned him was a tender kiss and a gentle, yet devious smile.

“No.” Taekwoon declared calmly. “My pace.” 

A sob wrung itself past Hakyeon’s throat, and his body arched in need, looking for that extra stimulation Taekwoon was denying him. But, Taekwoon put an immediate end to it by holding on to Hakyeon’s hips, trapping him where he couldn’t move, and with just a slight change of angle, he continued like before.

Hakyeon screamed again as the change of angle changed everything, really, and yet it was still not enough. And Taekwoon still refused to give him enough, enough to push him up to that peak where his world would explode into a million colours and blinding light.

Instead, he kept nudging Hakyeon slowly towards it, painstakingly, nearly costing him his sanity with every one of his strokes, as well as his consciousness as his breathing would not provide his body with the oxygen he needed any longer between the moans and babbles and begging for Taekwoon to finally,  _ please _ , please give him what he wanted, what he craved, what he absolutely needed…

Instead, Taekwoon slowed down, letting Hakyeon catch his breath, even though that was the last thing Hakyeon wanted. The curses were on the tip of Hakyeon’s tongue as his mind cleared and the spots vanished from his vision once he’d replenished his body with oxygen, but they never made it past his lips when Taekwoon thrusted back into him again, with a renewed vigor that punched the breath right out of Hakyeon’s lungs once again. And he didn’t let him recover this time, timing his thrusts so fast and intense Hakyeon had no time left to breathe or express anything else in the meantime, as he was mercilessly pushed towards his high and exploded in a burst so blinding he was sure he had lost consciousness for a while, at least.

When he came back to, slowly coming down from his high like a downy feather fluttering in a warm breeze, he found Taekwoon lying half on top of him, half next to him, no longer inside his body, and panting harshly himself. He had missed Taekwoon’s climax, but judging from the shudders of aftershocks wracking through his body, his own orgasm must have hit him no less intensely than Hakyeon’s had hit him.

With his senses coming back to him, Hakyeon began to feel the chill in the air of the cabin again and pulled the blanket, which had fallen back during the most heated part of their recent activities, back over the both of them, and got a pleased hum from Taekwoon in return.

Hakyeon smiled softly, so incredibly fond of the man half draped over him and still holding on to him as if he was afraid to lose him. He probably was, too, and Hakyeon wanted nothing more than to take that fear from him. As long as Taekwoon would have him, he never wanted to leave him again, either.

Taekwoon tightened his hold on Hakyeon even further as his senses came back to him as well, needing to feel more of his warmth, his heartbeat against his own skin, breathing under his body. He was wary of crushing him, yet at the same time he wouldn’t have minded if their bodies melted into one. And neither did Hakyeon apparently.

Nimble fingers carded softly through Taekwoon’s hair eventually, bringing him back to a more conscious plane of existence, and he shifted more of his weight off Hakyeon and onto the mattress next to him in favour of getting into an angle at which he could look back at the other comfortably.

“Hey there.” Hakyeon greeted him with a tender smile, and Taekwoon returned it.

“Hey…”

“Welcome back.”

Taekwoon’s smile grew sheepish. “Thanks. My goal was to knock you out with pleasure, but I guess that backfired…”

Hakyeon laughed quietly. “Not entirely. You did knock me somewhere real nice for a while… I didn’t even notice you coming.”

Taekwoon blushed ever so slightly. “I came right after you. Seeing you coming was what pushed me over, too…”

Hakyeon’s heart fluttered, and not just his heart. He ignored that other part for the time being, though. More than anything, he was touched by how his own pleasure had affected Taekwoon, apparently.

“You are so beautiful…” Taekwoon’s sigh brought Hakyeon back out of his thoughts. “I wish I could look at you like this forever…”

“Like this? You mean…”

“Just us lying here, next to each other. Be that after sleeping with each other, waking up in the morning, going to bed at night… Just, like this…”

Internally, Hakyeon screamed with joy. Out loud, he just hummed quietly, and:

“We could.” 

Taekwoon’s gaze became questioning.

“We could?”

Hakyeon nodded.

“Yes. If you’ll have me.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to have you?” Taekwoon wondered, genuinely. Then, though, a thought hit him. “But… You have your life, your house, everything… Everything you’ve built for yourself, to get back to…”

Hakyeon shook his head, though. 

“I thought I did, too. But, once I did go back… I realized that none of that truly satisfied me. My place isn’t even really mine, just rented. My job… Well. It’s a job, and not one I’m particularly emotionally attached to. The only thing I did miss were my houseplants. But once I was back home, I realized that there was much more I had left behind here that I missed, than what I had back there. You, of course, but not only. I couldn’t even sleep well at night for the first month, without the creaking of the planks in the background, the groaning of the mast, the sound of waves lapping against the hull… I even missed the noise of your rowdy crew; I missed  _ them, _ their teasing, their antics... and their thoughtfulness, the bond they all share, among themselves, with you… and even with me. I missed it all. And I really, really wanted it back.”

Taekwoon felt anticipation swell in his heart, but fearfully, he hushed it and forced it down; he didn’t want to get his hopes up too much, just in case.

“So, what you’re saying, is…” He started, but found it hard to put his thoughts into words. “You’re saying…”

“I want to stay with you, Taekwoon. Here. If you’ll have me. You, and your crew.”

Taekwoon’s breath left him in a rush, and only then did he realize he had been holding it. 

“I’ll work for you, too; I’ll earn my keep. I don’t expect to live here for free, of course!” Hakyeon hurried to reassure Taekwoon, misinterpreting his forced exhale. “Or, I can even work somewhere else, and just stay with you a part of the time, but-”

He couldn’t go further, since Taekwoon shut him up with a kiss. Hakyeon was surprised, for a moment - just a heartbeat, really - before he gave into the kiss.

“Hakyeon… My Yeonie…” Taekwoon sighed eventually, when he finally broke the kiss. “There is nothing I want more than for you to stay with me. Here. And if that is what you want, too… It is a dream come true. You don’t have to work on the ship if it’s not for you, or with the crew, and I would never force you to work somewhere else… Nor will I keep you from doing what you want, either. You just do what you want to do. And if you do want to work with me, with us, the crew, too… I am sure we can find something, something you like, somewhere you’ll fit in. We’ll figure something out.”

Hakyeon’s face lit up, features relaxing, and he sighed in relief before kissing Taekwoon briefly. “Thank you… I just need to figure my stuff out on land first, and then… Then I am free, and can move in here.”

Taekwoon’s heart did a somersault.

“I can’t wait for that day to come.”

***

The day came not a full month later, after Hakyeon had indeed figured everything out that was left to figure out, and moved the few belongings he treasured onto the ship and in with Taekwoon. 

Even though he had left most of his belongings behind, some of them forever, he missed nothing. He was elated, and he had everything he needed in his life on board the SSS Navy Gold. Everything, except-...

“So, what was it Hakyeon would be doing from now on? What was his role on board? The damsel in distress kidnapped by pirates, or the damsel in distress the pirates have to save?” Hongbin interrupted his train of thought, prompting him to turn his back to the view of the vast openness of the ocean and to where Hongbin was leaning against the main mast.

“You know…” Hakyeon mused, leaning against Taekwoon who was standing next to him and fluttering his lashes up at him with a saccharine smile. “I find for a pirate ship, we lack a bit of authenticity. Even though everyone keeps mentioning it, I have yet to see anyone walk the plank. I don’t think we even have one! We should change that; and I just so do happen to know my way around some woodwork...!”

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like for me to write something for you, too, head on over to my Twitter [@writtenonwings](https://twitter.com/writtenonwings) to find out how :)


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